manners MATTER
BY KAREN LA CORTE
C
hildren’s Etiquette is manners plain and simple. Manners begin at home. It is our
responsibility as parents and grandparents to instill right from wrong, polite behavior
and acts of kindness. Positive reinforcement goes a long way in achieving these
attributes for our little ones. This reinforcement should also be encouraged by teachers,
coaches, and the like, as it really does take a village to raise a child.
Children’s
Etiquette
Karen La Corte is an
etiquette and manners
expert trained and certi-
fied by the Emily Post
Institute in Vermont. She
has been teaching eti-
quette and manners to
children and adults for
over thirty years. She is
also a certified image
and fashion consultant.
Karen is happy to answer
any personal etiquette or
image questions you may
have by emailing her at
[email protected]
86
Children are like sponges. They are
ready to absorb information as it comes
their way. It is important that we teach our
children about attitude and positive inter-
actions with others early. Being nice and
pleasant to be around is learned behavior.
I teach children that there are “five”
magic words. The first two are, “Please
and Thank You.” May I please have
more milk? Thank you for packing my
lunch, mom. But, we cannot forget “You’re
Welcome,” “Excuse Me,” and “I’m Sorry.”
You’re most welcome for accepting my
sincere thanks. Excuse me for burping at
the table. I’m sorry for ringing the doorbell
fifty times. No matter what your age, these
words express positive meaning to others.
Courtesies day-to-day are just as impor-
tant as the thank you for the birthday gift.
It’s the appreciation for letting us go ahead
in line at the grocery store or for sharing
a book at school. Have you all seen the
movie “Moana?” It is my favorite children’s
movie right now. There are a lot of life
lessons in this movie including manners.
The song, “You’re Welcome,” has come
to be one of my favorites. Share this with
your children. You won’t regret it. You’ll be
going around the house singing “You’re
Welcome” like we do here with the kids.
It’s a great way to get them to say it.
It is important to teach children that even
though we live in the same house with
our family and we see them everyday, we
need to be as nice to them as we are to
others. It is out of respect and consideration
that we don’t talk back, don’t make faces
when we don’t want to do something, and
don’t leave our clothes and toys around
for others to pick up. It is important to take
turns, share (that’s a big one), follow the
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
rules, and don’t whine or cry when we
don’t have everything our way. Putting
things back where they belong so others
can find them easily is as important as
cleaning up the toys after play. Kids need
to learn that it is not polite to leave their
toys around so others may trip on them.
Training a child to smile and shake
hands when they meet someone for the
first time is one of my favorite exercises.
Add “How do you do?” or “Pleased to
meet you!” and your child will be ahead
of the game in the social skills department
Children need to know the importance
of table manners whether at home, at a
friend’s house, or in a restaurant. Emily
Post shares her Top Table Manners for
Kids – What Every Kid Should Know:
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
w
Come to the table with clean
hands and face.
w Put your napkin on your lap.
w
Start eating when everyone else
does or when given the okay
to start.
w Stay seated and sit up straight.
w
Keep elbows (and other body
parts!) off the table while eating.
w
Chew with your mouth closed and
don’t talk until you’ve swallowed.
w
Don’t make bad comments about
the food.
w
Say “Please pass the ….” Instead
of reaching.
w Chat with everyone at the table.
w
Don’t make rude noises like
burping or slurping.
w Ask to be excused when finished.
w
Thank your host or whoever
prepared the meal.
w Offer to help clear the table.
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