What is mannerism? A habitual gesture or way of speaking or behaving.
By Constance Ndeleko
Etiquette is one of the first characteristics that mirrors the personality, background, and upbringing of a person in general. On certain instances and places, your child should know what kind of behavior, in general, should be followed.
It is only reasonable to want your children to be treated well by other children. Well as the adage says, do unto others what you will want to be done unto you.
There’s more to teaching manners than just words. Gratitude and politeness are valued traits in our culture. Expressions of gratitude helps children not to become self-centered and help them not take for granted what they have.
‘It’s not just your child’s future that is affected by her/his manners; it’s her parents’ reputation and, ultimately, the civility of the culture and society in which we live. While no one is perfect, imagine a culture where good manners just don’t exist – not a pleasant thought! Good manners set a standard of behavior against which other behavior can be measured, which helps keep order and civility in society.’
We are all leaving in unprecedented times where most children/adult spend an incredible amount of time in the online space. It is with no doubt that manners and etiquette should also be exercised in the same regard.
In today’s world, we live in a technology driven society which calls for a more crucial need to instill good manners than ever. It is the most crucial job we have as care givers to help children develop independent skills as we show them how to associate and respect others.
Internet is a blessing in the 4th revolution and as we embrace it let’s be vigilant of the negative impacts that tends to cost our well-being. Unfortunately, children/adults have been bullied, embarrassed, trolled or harassed online.
In retrospect, it all starts with me and you; how we respond to each other has an impact in the lives of children we raise in the society. Albeit some behaviors could be picked by children elsewhere but it calls for our undivided effort to check on them and note the change in behavior before it gets out of hand.
We recognize that children may be born with numerous innate abilities, but behaving politely is not one of them. So the onus is on us to instill them with the right ways on how to behavein the society. Care givers have the sole accountability to learn how to raise a courteous, friendly child who is at home in any social situation.
It is stated that, children begin to understand about other people’s feelings at the mark of 18 months and this is the right time to start teaching them that their behaviors affect others.
I believe acquiring good manners takes a lot of practice and reinforcement and it starts with me and you. All the basic manners can only be taught with time; if you rush your child to acquire them then he/she will be obstinate and will start ignoring whatever you say. Be the person you want your child to be.
A well-mannered child gets to share great times with other children while they play, in school or at social gathering. They mostly enjoy interacting with other children as well as adults. This type of energy is also beneficially to their well-being.
When a child knows the acceptable behavior for any situation it improves their confidence and self-esteem. They will feel comfortable walking into any situation and know the correct etiquette.
It’s no secret that raising children today is a tough job. With all of the influences they have in their lives, keeping them on the right path is never easy. I stress good manners to children because it costs nothing, but good manners are incredibly valuable.