Parenting Skills for Teaching Manners

One key point to remember is to teach and not reprimand. Be specific when you teach your child and keep in mind that follow-up lessons are going to be necessary.

For example, young children, need to be taught that burping in public is something that we just don't do. So instead of saying, "Don't be so rude!" you could say, "It's not polite to belch in public, but if you do, you should say 'excuse me'.

Rephrase

When your child says something in a less-than-polite way, you can rephrase what she has just said, but, in a way that you find acceptable. If she says, "I hate this green stuff!" You can politely correct her by saying, "What you should say is, I don't like spinach."

Accept Mistakes

When children are young, they tend to spill, drop and break things more often than not. It takes time for them to acquire the necessary motor skills to be neat and tidy. They also often make social blunders. It takes maturity to act in social situations. Accept age-appropriate mistakes for being simple childishness.

Correct Privately

As annoying as your child's lack of manners may be, resist the urge to reprimand him in front of others. Making a scene while teaching manners can just be considered bad manners on your part.

Expect Good Manners

Be consistent when teaching your child good manners. Expect them to show good manners every day. Remind gently, and over time you will find that your children will turn into proper ladies and gentlemen.

Take Charge

Once you accept that it is you who is in charge, you can simply expect your children to obey you. This way you will have built a solid foundation in which you can then build a loving and trusting relationship with your child.

Even more importantly, you will be assisting you children toward an adulthood with values, wisdom and life skills that only a strong and supportive parent can impact.

Use Rules and Routines

If you set specific rules and routines, you will find that all things will flow much more peacefully. If not, then expect chaos. It's always worth your time and effort to establish family priorities, rules and schedules for everyday routines.

No one is born knowing how to be a parent, it takes time to really know what it takes. We can love our kids with our whole heart and soul, but we don't have all the right answers, nor do we automatically know how to solve day to day child rearing problems. But you can be confident that your parenting skills will grow with time.

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