“Get out from my home!” yelled the 5 year old Shasha to her Granny, while her flabbergasted mother stood there dumbstruck wondering where did that come from!

God created a body and entrusted its creation to parents to bring it up with all the love and make it a human being. That is why parents are referred to as God personified. Children are like the molten wax and parents are moulders who have been given the power to mould and make a person out of it. It is a great responsibility and needs to be done with utmost attention and caution, as nobody likes a deranged face of it. Manners and etiquette for children are a necessity.

Children are fast learners. A kid learns and remembers about 3 – 4 times faster and greater than an adult does. Therefore, one needs to be very careful of what one does and speak in front of a child because kids also have a curious and agile mind and they tend to imitate the gestures and words the pick from their surroundings. You wouldn’t have even realised when you had blabbered something and the very next day, to your utter horror (and even embarrassment sometimes) your child will be saying it out loud that in front of your guests, completely oblivious of what it means. Of course it is not very difficult for them to judge, where it came from, is it? It is not surprising if you are already smirking reading this, as you recall yourself in a similar situation.

Good manners and Etiquette are the building pillars of your kid’s personality. Manners refine the way one behaves with others and etiquette is an aid to presenting oneself in a proper manner to the society. These two help analysing and differentiating good from bad, guides a person to understand the feelings of others and how not to embarrass you and raise a question on your family legacy.

Here are few tips for all those parents who have their head held tight between the palms of their hand because parenting is the toughest job.

1. Respect your elders: No matter how much you love your child and hate your mother in law (Hahaa! No offence), always remember to stop your child from being rude to her. Respect for oneself and others is the biggest trait one person can have. It cannot just pop out of one on its own! It evolves as time rolls by. So next time you feel like hurling few rough words at someone, watch your mouth mama! 😉

2. Learn to handle your dishes: Table manners for kids are equally important. The way one uses the napkins, crockeries and cutleries, speaks a lot about one’s background. Making noise while eating, eating messily, wasting food reflects poor bringing up. Henceforth, have an ear if daddy is munching out a packet of Cheetos like a buffalo (Just kidding!)

3. Charity begins at home: Teach your child the quality of giving, and not just in for of things but in the form of words and behaviour. Helping others is the biggest asset of mankind. See to it that your kid neither is deprived nor deprives it of anyone.

3. Touch me Not: Many kids have the habit of touching & sometimes damaging things when at someone’s home. Explain it is okay to ask if they are curious, but touching is inacceptable without permission.

5. I am listening: Help you child speak kindly using correct vocabulary. But remember listening is a more important virtue than talking. Always listen to your kids without interrupting so that they cultivate the same habit as they grow. As you know, a good listener is always appreciated.