Teaching Children Manners

Manners are extremely important for children to learn so that they have a basic understanding of what is acceptable behavior. In most cases, it is up to the parents to teach their children proper manners. Often when I go shopping I see children who have obviously not been taught the most basic manners. Most of the time the parents also seem to have no knowledge of manners so perhaps the children are simply copying the parents.

When I was growing up we were taught certain manners that seem to have disappeared these days. You didn't run wild through the store, you didn't yell and scream at your parents, and you didn't throw tantrums because they told you no when you wanted something and you didn't destroy things in the store. I've seen kids today doing all these things and more while the parents simply stood by and ignored it.

Most likely if they behave this way out in public they probably behave the same, if not worse, at home. I'm not sure if it's just that the parents don't want to discipline the kids, if their just ignoring it hoping they'll grow out of it or if their just too tired to care. However, if the children are not taught right as children they will probably grow up and not teach their children as well.

Years ago when Hubby and I were foster parents we had a foster child (he was 17) that did this to me. He saw something he wanted in the store and when I told him no, he threw himself on the floor kicking and screaming. I was mortified...people came from aisles away to get a look. I bought what he asked for and he immediately stopped. When we got home though he found out different. First, the item was being returned and second, he'd no longer be allowed to go with me to any store, restaurant or anywhere until he could show that he was mature enough to act right in a public place. That was the first and last tantrum that he ever threw.

Another foster child we had (a girl of 19) had a bad habit of spitting on the ground, just like men often do. I tried numerous times to break the habit without success until one day when we were shopping. In the parking lot she spit a big gob of who knows what on the ground and I stopped and made her clean it up with Kleenex. I think not only is it not lady like but it also leaves it for others to step in and track around. Thankfully she got the message and stopped doing it.

I believe it's up to the parents to teach their kids proper manners whether it's not throwing tantrums, not running wild through the store, not making fun of disabled people or spitting on the floors. If no one teaches them the right way to behave, not only do they not know how, they won't be able to teach their own kids.

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