Minding Your Manners

Ok, I am going to sound like an old grandma here...but kids today have absolutely no manners. I'm not talking about which fork to use- that's etiquette, and I'm not too worried about that. I'm talking about basic please-and-thank-yous, excuse me's, common courtesy. I can't tell you how many times I'm out in public and I see kids being just plain obnoxious. Running through stores, bumping into people (I told you I would sound like a grandma),whining for things they want, and interrupting their parents while they talk to someone. This is exactly how I don't want my kids to act.

My son is the worst offender. He wakes up about 7 every morning, marches out into the living room, and names his demands. "I want apple juice and Cheerios!" he doesn't even say good morning. One time he left out "I want" and simply declared, "Apple Juice!" Then as I am pouring the apple juice, he demands it four more times. Another obstacle to good manners is his complete lack of volume control. This morning in ShopRite he shouted, "Do you hear that OLD LADY laughing?" Yes, and now I SEE her giving us dirty looks...

The good news is, Caleb's lack of manners stems from his age. With time and training, he will learn not to behave that way. What bothers me are the older kids who still act like Caleb. This is not from immaturity, but from a lack of respect. I want my kids to be respectful. I don't want a bunch of self-centered brats. We live in a society of entitlists who don't think they or their kids should have to defer to anyone. Their kids are better than others and they don't need to say sorry if they knock mine over on the playground, or excuse me if they walk on my heel while they are texting. They seem to think practicing some manners would reveal some sort of character weakness, but in reality, the opposite is true. Manners show you are strong enough to put others first.

This is one area Jeremiah and I try to emphasize a lot with our kids. As six and three-yr-olds, we don't expect them to be the picture of perfect manners, but we do expect them to be courteous.That's why when I found a library book this morning called "Everyday Graces: A Child's Book of Good Manners", I was pretty psyched. It's a collection of poems, excerpts from stories, and even Bible verses, all teaching a lesson about manners. Some of the authors quoted are: Mark Twain, L.M. Montgomery,Robert Louis Stevenson, and C.S. Lewis, and some of the chapters include: Honoring Your Mother and Father, Helping Out at Home, Kind Words, Taming the Tongue, Befriending the Elderly, and lots lots more. I am definitely going to get my own copy and incorporate it into our lessons.

And, before you write me off as completely antiquated, the back cover says, "It's also a book of manners for rock stars"-Bono