Social etiquette, having good manners, being polite to others and even saying "please" and "thank you" nowadays seems to be part of that "old fashioned stuff" that is no longer put into practice or encouraged. As adults, we feel surprised when we receive a thank you note or somebody politely asks us for a favor, and we have unfortunately grown accustomed to expecting people to just satisfy our requirements. It seems that etiquette and good manners in general do not play an important role in our kids` life at present, as it is no longer important to many adults, either.
Good manners provide a moment in time where someone stops and considers our needs, offers us a seat, asks us politely for something with a `please` and says `thank you` afterwards. These niceties may only take a second, but they are an important second in our busy world of rushing around, solely thinking of ourselves and what we need to do.
Those moments can make us stop and consider the importance of noticing the other person, the waitress, the sales person. Do we really need to bark out our orders, commands, demands? How much more pleasant would it be for all concerned if we asked for something politely, with a `please` at the end of the request. And acknowledged receipt of it with a smile and a `thank you`. Hardly earth shattering, but a more pleasant way of dealing with people and a better way of treating them.
I have come across some parents who think today that being polite is an old-fashioned concept. They boast of their child being independent and let them misbehave in front of others. Well, good manners will never go out of fashion. They are one of the tools of success for the child. These days respectfulness and courteous behaviors are not very commonly seen amongst children. If your kid will have this rare commodity, he/she will outshine lots of other kids. It`s never to late to start working on good mannerisms with your kids.