Can I have a post to rant about something that really bothers me? Manners. Where did they go?
Today, I want to talk about the things we seem not to be teaching children anymore. This week I saw:
A child come into the office at the church and begin to go through the drawers of the Pastor’s desk while my husband talked to their parent about a very serious issue. I asked the child politely to please close the drawers and to come over to where I was. He asked, “Why?” He continued to not listen to me, or to the Pastor when he asked him to stop and all the while his mother did and said absolutely nothing. He then went to the fridge to check what was in there. Do you think this was a toddler? No! A third grader? No! Older than that. Learning disability? No! The child was 11. Simply no manners. This kid comes from a stay-at-home mom family. It makes me wonder what she does all day?
I then watched a five year old eat with his mouth open, talk with his mouth full, spewing food as he talked, grab food with his fingers from other’s plates. All the while the mom giggled. Funny? No, not at all. Another stay-at-home mom.
Can I just ask you moms who stay home with your kids, what exactly are you are doing all day because I don’t think that you that you are doing a great deal of teaching? Perhaps if Disney could come up with a video or television show of manners our children would learn because they know everything there is about Sponge Bob, Hannah Montana, Harry Potter and the like. Maybe if they put on itunes or better yet, DS.
I guess my question isn’t where are the manners, I guess my question is where are the parents?
Pastor Susan 
lol blues clues i know does manners… but thats a bit young. lol
dunno where they are but not here either.
but then, sometimes neither is the expectation.
when boo was younger, we used to stop by bakery of the grocery store for a free kids cookie to keep her occupied for part of the shopping trip. if she didn’t say thank you on her own, and i prompted, there was one worker that every time would tell me “oh, she doesnt have to”. annoyed me every time..
youd be amazed how many people will actually jump in when you prompt on asking before doing something. “oh its ok, shes fine”. it may be ok for her to do whatever, but she still needs to remember to make sure it is BEFORE she does it. i’m like, can we wait 5 seconds, let her ask you belatedly, then you can tell her its fine without undermining her learning to remember to ask next time?
Good point! I’m going to check myself to see if I do this. Although yesterday I was playing with one the of toddlers in the church and I gave her a yogurt drop. She instantly put it in her mouth and her mom said, “Say thank you!” and she hummed it because she was too busy chewing. I thought it was the cutest thing. You can’t help but laugh. The intent was there!
My son is getting where he interrupts and demands my attention when I’m talking to other adults. It’s an issue which is just in the beginning stages but I’ve made him stop talking and wait until we get to a break in the conversation and say, “Excuse me…”
I don’t like rudeness or impoliteness at all. If he wants something, he has to ask with a please and then say thank-you when he gets it.
Manners aren’t everything but they sure are square one on gettin to everything.