Have you ever sat in a restaurant and watched as the parents desperately tried to get their child to stop screaming? While we might not be able to stop our toddlers from screaming in public, we can teach them basic public manners. Teaching our children manners not just at home but in public will help our homes run smoothly, not to mention lower our stress levels!

First and foremost, you cannot teach your child how to behave in public without taking them in to public! Do not be afraid to take your son or daughter to a sit-down restaurant, you never know, they may act like the perfect angels that we know they all are!

Simple “Please” and “Thank You” goes a very long way. My daughter says Thank You for just about everything, the look on a person’s face after she says Thank You is astonishing! Make sure to give a lot of praise and encouragement when your child is polite.

“Hello” is even a form of manners. Teaching your child to say Hello is a great conversation starter. When you’re at the grocery store and you have your toddler with you, it may just make the cashier’s day to have your child say Hello.

Children learn through observation and repetitiveness, so remember to practice what you teach. Do not expect your toddler to be polite during dinner, if you’re not leading by example.

Make sure to always praise your child after doing something good, such as good manners. Disciplining them because they did not say Thank You rarely, if ever, works. Most children between the ages of one to three don’t understand what their being punished for, especially if it is because they did not say a specific word.

Once you have the basics down with your learning toddler, you will be able to explore other aspects of manners. While we might not be able to teach them how to chew with their mouth shut at the age of two, we can certainly begin with ‘simple manners’. Thank You and Please are just two parts of having manners, imagine when your child starts to say “Excuse Me”!

Have you begun the journey of teaching manners? If so, how is it going for you? What method are you using? Has it been successful?

Photo by Mavis

Vanessa is a mother of two daughters who constantly keep her on her toes. You can keep up with her life and daily ramblings over at Dressed In Pink.