Applied
Theology by WordExplain A Potpourri of Biblical and Practical Perspectives on a Variety of Topics . . . |
"A time to be silent and a time to speak." Ecclesiastes 3:7 |
Q: How do you feel about manners and when to start teaching them to children? A: We
feel it’s very important to teach
children
manners and to begin as soon as they are able to understand the little
things. Table
manners have been a part of meal time
at our home from the beginning because we were raised that way and we
feel it’s
very important to teach children to act appropriately in our home and
in others’
homes. Even if you
wouldn’t require
certain behaviors from your children at meal time when it’s just your
family at
home, there will come a day when you’ll want them to be able to sit
nicely and
act politely at someone else’s table.
They will also thank you for teaching them these
things once they’re out
of the house, on their own, eating at a nice restaurant with a special
someone! So, let’s
all do our children and ourselves a
favor and train them to be polite in various situations! Here is a
list of manners regarding meal time: 1.
Sit up nicely (no slumping
over your plate or
table). 2.
Keep your feet on the
floor, and don’t lean your
chair back. 3.
Wait until everyone is at
the table and have
prayed before beginning to fill your plate. 4.
Pass serving dishes to
each other, don’t
reach over someone to get what you need. 5.
When passing
something to someone, put your
fork down to politely pass it. 6.
Don’t talk with
your mouth full. (This
is a hard one at our house!) 7.
When you’re
done, say, “May I be excused?” (Younger
ones say, “Can I be done?”) 8.
Clear your own
dishes and say, “Thanks for
supper, Mom.” (or Grandma or whoever) Here is a
list of just miscellaneous manners to teach children: 1.
Hold the door for someone
following you through
a door. (Boys, especially, stand to the side and let others go in first
to
practice gentlemanly manners.) 2.
Have them thank
their Sunday School teacher
as they’re leaving their class each Sunday. 3.
Observe the
obvious “please” and “thank you”
rule. 4.
Train them to
use more gracious terms for
using the restroom. 5.
When they are a
guest at someone else’s
home, they should wait until something is offered to them (such as
snacks,
supper etc.) instead of asking for it. I hope
this is helpful! We
work on all these
things with our children but not in a stiff, cold way.
You can teach your children to be polite and
be comfortable with manners without taking the fun out of life! Enjoy your family as you
teach them to feel
confident in knowing how to act in situations they may be put in! March, 2008
Published by WordExplain.com Email Contact: parentingqa@yahoo.com Go to Parenting Q&A Index Page Go to Applied Theology
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About the Author: Christa Bartsch is a stay-at-home mom who lives in the rural Midwest. She has led seminar workshops for women on marriage and parenting. She has been happily married for fifteen years and is the mother of five children. She also sings on the worship team at her church. WordExplain by James T. Bartsch
Updated March 28, 2014
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