kids and Manners!
Often we come across kids who are very rude and lack basic manners. They are rude with everyone, right from their own parents to a small kid. The parents consider this to be “smartness.” It amuses me no end!
We all try to inculcate good values in our kids. Respecting others is one of them. Here are a few pointers which teach the kids to be respectful towards others:
1. Right from a very young age teach the child to say sorry, please, and thank you. They should follow it from everyone, the maids, the sweepers, any other helper. They should be taught to say this to all irrespective of the class, creed, or gender.
2. The parents themselves should set a good example. Kids learn by observing their kids, so the best way to teach them is to respect others.
3. The parents should respect each other. In many homes, the father treats the mother badly, disrespects her, somewhere the kids also learn the same.
4. Stop the child immediately if you find him being disrespectful or rude with others. Don’t rebuke him in front of others. Go home and talk to him and tell him why his behavior was uncalled for. Tell them how no one likes ill-behaved kids.
5. The parents should respect the child as well! Often parents forget that the child is an individual too who needs to be respected. I always make a point to apologize to my kids if I have yelled at them wrongly. This way they learn to apologize too.
6. Kids need to be respectful and compassionate towards the elderly. Sometimes the elderly are hard of hearing, impatient, annoyed. Kids need to handle them with compassion.
7. I hate it when kids are abusive towards maids, drivers, peons, watchmen, nannies. I so wish to lecture the kids and their parents about behavior then and there! The parents should teach the kids to behave properly and with courtesy with everyone, no matter what their “class” is. Parents themselves need to behave well with them first.
As a parent one feels proud when others appreciate your children’s manners. So,start Early!
By Ritwika Roy Mutsuddi
