Do you wonder if you use the right methods to teach your children how to behave properly and with good manners, and also to respect you? The whole process may often prove to be a great challenge, but with a consistent attitude towards your child's behavior you can achieve the desired result!

Repetition helps to reinforce good behavior

In the first years of his/her life, the child discovers the world around him/her. At the same time, he/she also discovers both his/her limits and your limits. He/She does not know the rules and does not understand manners as a concept so you have to constantly try to explain them to him/her. The secret is repetition. Your behaviour and your attitude towards your child must be consistent and repeated so that it makes an impression on the child's subconscious and he/she slowly adopts that behaviour himself/herself. This will make it easier for your child to distinguish between what is good behavior and what is not.

Keywords for good manners 

It will help your child to be polite to you and to those in his/her social environment, if he/she hears some of the keywords we all use in our everyday life such as "Hello”, “Hi”, and “Thank you". These words all have a positive effect on others. Sooner or later he/she will realise that whenever he/she uses these words he/she is praised by those around him/her and, without realising it, will acquire the basic rules of polite behavior. If the child does not use these words, you can ask "What do we say?" and praise him/her every time he/she gives the right answer.

A calm approach and discussion lead to good results

Some parents use punishment, shouting, aggression or harsh words to get their message across. This approach is bad for your child, and is not to your advantage either. If you behave aggressively, it is highly likely that the child will react by behaving in exactly the same manner. It is better to go up to your child calmly and explain to him/her that his/her behavior is not right, then leave him/her to calm down and, once he/she has calmed down, explain why he/she should not react like that. Trying to react calmly is definitely the most difficult route to take, but in the long run it leads to children with good judgement and self-confidence.

The child mirrors the parent's behavior

You will see from very early on in his/her life that your child “mirrors” your behaviour.  It is often difficult to manage the child's anger, negativity and disobedience, but you have to remember that you are his/her example. If you are polite and respectful, it is highly likely that your child will see that behavior, store it and gradually begin to behave in the same way.

We should remember that it takes patience and perseverance to teach children new things, let alone to inspire them to behave properly. Good luck!

Food and good behaviour

The most common problem faced by parents is that their children will not sit quietly during meals. This behaviour is very difficult for parents, especially when they are eating outside the house with their children. One way to get your children to behave properly at the table is to turn your meal into a special family time. It is good for the whole family to eat together at least twice a week. During the meal, make sure everyone has their own napkin and their own cutlery so that the children will see you use them and will be curious about them. This means that, in their own time, the children will try to use them as well. A good tip for eating at the table is to talk about issues that concern and interest your children so that they can participate calmly in the discussion.

Order in the areas they use

Children need to learn from a young age to tidy up their things and not to be messy. If they learn to tidy up their room and to put it in order, they will be able to order their lives in the future. You can turn the whole process into a game. All you need to do is make a chart with the work that you would like your children to do every day. Whenever they finish some of these jobs, you can all go and have some fun together (a trip to the park, cooking, treats). Gradually they will get into the habit of doing these jobs, and you will also get to spend more time with them.