The general lack of manners is a common lament lately. I can count on one hand the number of times I hear people say please and thank you during a normal trip to the store. It is a pet peeve of mine. These words take two seconds to say.
Why is it so hard to be courteous to others?
Sure, school and activities help children learn basic manners like taking turns, patience, and inside voices (among many others), but like anything our sons and daughters learn, it is up to parents to help drive home the message. To set the example and encourage the behavior.
Without fail, whenever we leave a store my sons tell the cashier “thank you.” Even if nothing we’ve bought is specifically for them. It’s something I’ve drilled into them since they began to talk.
Common courtesy and manners are important to me. I’m raising my sons to be capable, functioning, good humans. Courtesy and manners are a foundational piece of raising them.
Because of this, I constantly remind my sons to use their manners. To say please and thank you. To make eye contact when you’re speaking with someone. To wait their turn to speak instead of talking over someone.
It’s not easy and it can get frustrating having to constantly remind them. To repeatedly explain why it’s something they need to do. But, they’re young. And they get better at using their manners every day.
There is so much difficulty in our day-to-day world. So much pain and frustration; stress and annoyance. Using manners and being courteous?
Those are minuscule ways to make the world a better place. When you use them enough, they become habits. And every single time you use them, you make the world a tiny bit better. You set an example for other people.
It is small, but it has an impact.
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