As we move further and further into the 21st century, social courtesies and niceties appear to be going the way of the dinosaurs. Even if this is the case, as parents, you can teach your child these five basic courtesies. Start when they are young so that these basic courtesies can become life-long habits.
1. Greetings: Consider teaching your child to extend greetings upon entering and leaving a room e.g. �Good morning,� �Good night.� It should also be pointed out to your child that they make not get a response but it is due to no fault of their own.
2. Saying Please: Children should be encouraged to say �please� when making a request e.g. �May I please be excused from the dinner table.�
3. Saying Thank you: They should be taught that a simple �thank you� should be extended when receiving something including a service or when being paid a compliment.
E.g. Compliment: �Katie that is a pretty dress you are wearing.�
Reply: �Thank you Mrs. Smith.�
E.g. Receiving a Service: �Here is your food.�
Reply: �Thank you.�
4. Saying Excuse/Pardon me: Teach your child to say �excuse/pardon me� if they need to get someone�s attention, interrupt a conversation or need to pass around someone. .
E.g. �Excuse me Mr. Washington, do you have the time?�
5. Apologizing: This is probably the hardest courtesy to extend, even for adults. Teach your child that there is nothing wrong with apologizing. In fact, it takes a much BIGGER person to apologize.
About the Author:
Felecia D. Sheffield, PhD, is an author, trainer, international speaker and
life coach. Dr. Sheffield has over 15 years of experience providing services to parents, schools, colleges, universities, and social services agencies. For addtional parenting articles, ADHD, LD and college resources visit psychcore.com psychcore.com
Copyright 2004-2007, Felecia D. Sheffield. PhD. All Rights Reserved Worldwide in all Media. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article in your ezine, newsletter, newspaper, magazine, website, etc. as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, leave my name and bio box intact, and you follow all of the EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers.