If You Want Your Children To Have Good Manners, Quit These 5 Things

Nov 26, 2018 by apost team

Raising your kids to be polite and caring people can be a challenge. However, parents can play a pivotal role in how their children develop manners if they practice consistent and patient role modeling. It is important to take this job seriously.

Although it is easy to think of the things that you should be doing as a parent to encourage good manner habits, what is often neglected is the things that you should not be doing. Here are five things to be wary of when teaching your child to develop good manners habits to last a lifetime:

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One of the worst things that a parent can do is to continue to indulge bad behavior simply because you are afraid to deal with the consequences of an unhappy child. Parents need to remember that they make the rules and the child's impending meltdown should not dictate how the adult reacts simply because they are scared of dealing with the consequences. Teaching your child the difference between a want and a need is a good start to the process of taking control. Giving in to every whim of the child will only make the situation worse as it cultivates a sense of entitlement.

Although it is tempting to make excuses for your child's poor behavior, the reality is that by doing so, you are encouraging them to keep acting out. What you want to be doing is to stop excusing their behavior and instead work to correct it. The longer that you keep making excuses, the more deep-rooted and irreversible the behavior will become. Once you meet the basic needs of the child, you can begin to manage their wants in a way that promotes good behavior and manners.

In today's world, it is becoming less accepted for non-parents to scold a child. However, sometimes what a child needs most is for a respected adult to scold them for their repeated bad behavior. Teachers, coaches, and other relatives are all people who should be able to help you in your quest for instilling respect and good manners in your children. As long the communication lines remain open, this can be a positive learning experience for the child.

Sometimes you need to step back and look at the big picture. It is important to regularly assess how what you are doing now in the short term is helping them to develop positive habits for the long term. For example, giving in to their every material desire now is not teaching them the value of money. Instead, you should be teaching them the principles of responsibility and delayed gratification. By thinking long-term with your parent strategies, you will be setting your child up for a lifetime of healthy habits and success.

Good parents recognize the merit of making their child work for what they really want. Teaching children to be patient and that things do not always come easy in life will help them to develop the good manners needed to get them through life. Setting up a chore schedule for your child is an ideal way to instill in them the value of hard work and responsibility.

With a little consistency and intentional role modeling, you can ensure that your children grow up to be respectful and polite adults. Do not keep all of this valuable parenting advice to yourself. Take the time to help out some struggling friends and family to let them know how they too can foster good manners in their children. Let's make this world a kinder place together!