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Mind Your Turkey Day Ps and Qs

Encouraging Manners in Your Preschooler

By Marie-Helen Goyetche

Tell them why manners are important to you. Use daily examples and ask your child to think if they are good manners or bad manners. By getting your child to think them out, your child will form their own conclusions of why and how people felt when placed in certain situations. For example, say "How do you think Mary felt when Sam wiped his mouth on the tablecloth? How do you think that old lady felt when you held the door open for her? Do you think Dan will want to talk to Paul again if Paul always laughs at him? Why do you think Paul is always laughing?"

Another great example is to make use of the television. Use your child's TV time to analyze what he sees. Use the situations to get your child to think about how it could have been done differently. Whose feelings were hurt? Why? How can we mend these situations? How can we prevent them? Is this acceptable?

"Unfortunately, manners, just like tolerance, have changed on television, and it has influenced our children to be more disrespectful and less tolerant," says Dr. Elias. "Many people believe that because it's on TV, it's acceptable. Develop your child's conscience by asking questions, and this will develop their sense of empathy."

Want to see more?

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• Talk about it!