Toddler manners and good behavior are important in our family. I think it’s easier to teach them the good habits early rather than trying to make up for it later when they’re older and more stubborn. Here are also some tips on how to put someone in their place without being rude.
With Ace, we stress the importance of good child manners. Admittedly, we probably expect a lot from him, but I’d rather maximize our effort now, understanding that it will likely fall short in some areas, and allow some leniency there.
So, in no particular order, these are the things we ask of him on a regular basis:
- Instead of making demands, he says please and asks nicely
- When someone gives him something, he says thank you
- When someone sneezes, he says bless you
- When he coughs or sneezes, he contains it with his arm
- When he passes gas, he says excuse me
- He doesn’t ignore our questions. When we ask him a question, he needs to answer, even if he’s in the middle of playing
I would say he complies about half of the time. And he’s more consistent with some of these than others. For some of them, he just needs a gentle reminder. And sometimes he’s just being funny. Like when he scoots his butt off the seat to pass gas and then looks at me with a smirk and waits for me to ask him what he’s supposed to say. All I can do is shake my head.
I like how it’s turning out so far though. We’re cultivating toddler manners over here.