Helping Your Child Learn Responsible Behavior - continued

Magic Words, Caring Deeds

The magic words are "please" and "thank you." There are other manners we are constantly teaching our children as well.

What you'll need

Chairs

Table

Paper Pen

Crayons, markers

Plates, cups, forks, spoons

What to do

1. Show your children the manners you expect at home first. The next time you eat dinner together, have the children pretend they are eating in a restaurant. How should they talk to each other? What should they say when the waiter brings their food? Or have the children pretend they are riding in a bus. What should they do if the bus stops suddenly and they bump into someone? How should they carry a large package on the bus?
2. The next time your children mention something nice that another person did for them, suggest they write a thank you note. It doesn't have to have a lot of words. It can have pictures as well.
3. You, too, can write short notes to your child to indicate your appreciation for something done right. Children need to learn that little signs of appreciation can be very important to other people. And manners are a part of respecting and caring for the feelings of others. If we turn the chore of learning manners into a game, children will get the practice they need without embarrassing us or themselves. As you teach the importance of manners, you may need to be honest about what your child can expect form others. Mom, why do you make such a fuss when I chew with my mouth open?

Because it's ugly for other people to see. Good manners show respect for other people.

What's respect? It means caring how other people feel. If I care about them, will they care about me? Not always, Paul. Some people don't care and never will, no matter how kind we are to them. But in our family, we do care.