Being Polite

As I am writing this, my  bubbly niece Dee-Dee is in the house.  She is here to spend a good two days with my daughter Nicole  because school is out and  the timing is just perfect for a good  quality cousin bonding.

Over lunch, I noticed her to be so curt in answering my questions. Denise is a spunky beautiful and smart kid, but  without her intending to sound disrespectful, she sometimes says things rather too directly, unacceptable  by norms for kids her age.  I sometimes also notice my Nicky to be like that.  Whenever I would ask questions, she  would just easily dismiss me by saying “YES” or “NO”.   Sometimes when I call her, she would tell me “Wait!” as if I was annoying her.  I must admit, I didn’t take much notice of it, until  this incident has been repeated  several times.  Sometimes I would call her attention and she would correct herself, only to repeat it again  in the next instance.

So today, it happened with Denise. We were having lunch and I asked her if she wanted some dessert. She said “No” and did not even bother to look at me in the eyes while talking.

Shortly after, while we were lazing around in  my daughter’s room, I decided to talk to them and discuss my observation. I also included Nicole in the conversation because it has also been observed that she is guilty of being impolite when talking to elders.
So I told them about the value of being respectful, not through action, but more importantly through their words.  I told them, they may be the world’s most respectful children but when they do not speak with respect, even if in their hearts they think they are, they still offend and come out disrespectful to the world.

Here are some of the suggestions for them to show improvement in this area:

1. They have to use please, thank you, welcome.  Always remember using the ‘magic words’ when talking to other people.
2. They always have to look at the person they are talking to in the eyes.
3. They have to always mention the person’s name at the end when answering questions.  For example, if I ask them questions, they have to say ‘ Yes tita” rather than simply saying ‘YES”.
4. When visiting other people’s homes, they have to remember to greet the host and introduce themselves while never forgetting to say goodbye and thank you when they leave.
5. They need to ask permission when using things that aren’t theirs.

Children (or even some  adults) are work in progress. We cannot  expect children to already know things on their own.  As parents  we have to be the one to constantly remind them and guide them.

Personally it has been my mission in life to raise my daughter as uprightly as possible. However no matter how much I try, there will be instances like this when she fails.  As a Mom, I will always be there for her to correct her, counsel her and guide her. My daughter needs my constant and patient reminders and love just as your children also need yours.

Be a Happy Mom always 🙂