Last week I started writing about raising polite kids and some of the things that have worked for me. Here are a few other things I have found to be helpful.4. Don't respond to demands. I hear "I want" and "I need" and "Give me" all day long from my 3 year old. It's to be expected. I don't expect her to be a perfectly polite, mature citizen of our society. It's my job to help train her to become that.
Sometimes, rather than correcting her impolite demands, I simply don't respond to her. Usually she will realize her mistake and ask me politely. At this point, I've taught her the correct way so many times, she just needs a little reminder. We're getting there.... slowly. :)
5. Let it go sometimes. Especially in public. Children go through shy spells and don't want to speak to people they don't know well. Rather than spending an embarrassing amount of time trying to force my daughter to say hello or thank you, I will try a few times, demonstrate the right response and then move on.
It's really a "pick your battles" type of thing. If she's just being shy, I let it slide. If I can tell she's just being obstinant, that's when discipline is dealt.
6. Did I mention consistency? :) This will be a long process. As an adult, I'm still learning correct ways to deal with social situations and confrontations. It takes me time to learn things and I make many mistakes. I can't expect my daughter to behave perfectly, but we're always striving to move forward.
How do you teach your children to be polite? Share with us!
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