I’m the mom of an only child, and being an only child myself, I feel focused on him all the time. So many times I listen to my mother’s voice telling me to, “Behave and be polite!” Now I’m trying to pass that same message about manners on to my son.
My mom would always remind me of the basic manners, “Say hello, please and thank you.” No matter how many times she had told me before I always received the reminder.
Now I’m looking at the picture from a different perspective. I now understand that my mom was right, even more so than I thought. Now, I’m the one that appreciates the basic manners. I’m not only trying to get my son to learn them but I am also trying to use them more myself.
I personally feel that we need to keep those “basics.” If we keep our manners and teach our kids to do the same we can show respect and concern for others. In turn we will help to create a better society. The simple “please and thank you’s” could seem trivial or unimportant. However, we mostly interact with people that we don’t know and we are unaware of how they are feeling. A simple “thank you” can mean a lot for someone!
It seems as though we are living in a time where it is ok for kids not to say “hello.” When they grow and have difficulties interacting with other people we may ask why. If we teach them to simply say hello to others, many doors will open. A simple word will help them to get to know new people and eventually to make friends. More importantly, this important skill will allow them to ask for help or give help.
Asking for things in a good way and saying please will always be better than doing it the opposite way. Kindness will always encourage more kindness!
Those simple words really matter. We can make someone’s day with them! So, please, say “thank you” and teach your children to do the same. 🙂
