I was just perusing the paper while I was waiting for my turn in the shower, and I just about choked on what I read.
I can't find the article online, which is a bummer. So I can't share. (I'll keep an eye out). But it was an article about a Manners class for 2-5 year olds.
Where they learn not to bring toys to the table, to say please and thank you, to not talk with their mouth full.
The class is $75 for 6 sessions or about $17/hour.
Yes, people are willing to PAY this to teach their kids to be polite.
Are they out of their minds?????
I guess this particularly struck me as we have gotten A lOT of compliments/comments lately about how polite our kids are. I always scratch my head at that. Um, well, they learn by example. Since we aren't mannerless dolts I would expect them to not to be either.
I Can't say we put a lot of conscious effort into making them polite. so it boggles my mind a bit. I also had 2 different friends over for dinner in recent months who were amazed by the kids table manners, and as their kid ran about the room wildly, said they never made him sit at the table. I actually didn't give much thought to their non-table ways but also didn't exactly see what was so novel about a family meal experience. LOL. Both people thought we were so disciplined with our kids or something, making them sit at the table until we were all done. To us it's just normal civility.
So this article was just the icing on the cake. Paying to learn these matters. Wow!!!
Heck, maybe WE should start teaching some classes. People really pay for this? Hmmmm, a side income stream?
I think mostly it's a sad state of society. & yeah I have seen relatively polite people put no effort into raising polite kids. So the more I think about it the more it bothers me. I am not sure if 6 weeks of classes will do much to make kids polite.
You have GOT to be kidding me...
November 8th, 2007 at 03:48 pm
November 8th, 2007 at 04:36 pm 1194539800
November 8th, 2007 at 05:06 pm 1194541619
The little boys pull the chairs out for the little girls, there are napkins to be put in laps, utensils to be used politely, water to be sipped.
My kids did not have this teacher, but are also complimented ocassionally on their quiet polite patience while I am doing 'business' with jewelry consignment shops.
November 8th, 2007 at 05:09 pm 1194541744
November 8th, 2007 at 05:19 pm 1194542382
November 8th, 2007 at 05:23 pm 1194542586
I was talking to dh a little about it before I Went to work. I think I can sum up our parenting style in 2 ways. One, we are very involved (though interestingly one shocked parent was a SAHM with a very involved husband, so it seems to make little difference in that regard). & we treat our kids like, well, kids. If not adults. They aren't babies, for sure. But babying is a huge problem I see, around here.
We also get a lot of comments how well our kids talk, particularly when they were 2-3. We just always talked to them like adults and their preschool teacher is always asking me that. What did we do? Do we talk to them like adults? It's all I could figure. Didn't put them through speech boot camp or anything. If I could just bottle it up and sell that -man. LOL. But we kind of concluded the same thing - we expect them to behave like big kids at the table, even like adults. So they do. But it wasn't a terribly conscious decision. I would laugh at the idea of us being horribly strict. IT's just what we do.
db1974 - Those are the only tips I can give. My 4yo is terribly whiny and the 2yo is going through terrible 2s so we have our issues. LOL. They just seem to pull it together well for guests I guess. I guess which is the other side of parenting for us. You have to give them some leeway sometimes. They go through things and need more flexibity at times.
But I Am not sure is a 6-week class will suddenly make your kids polite. I just really question that.
November 8th, 2007 at 06:18 pm 1194545939
Two of my adult students later did there own class--one did a class on orential cooking and how to use a wok and chopsticks, and another on africian foods. I went to those as well and learned a lot (plus got a meal out of it too!).
November 8th, 2007 at 08:04 pm 1194552244
I'm all for these etiquette classes. As far as I'm concerned they should be mandatory.
November 8th, 2007 at 09:43 pm 1194558181
(I was a waitress too)
November 8th, 2007 at 10:37 pm 1194561473
Though it is still sad that so many are in need of it.
November 9th, 2007 at 01:22 am 1194571370
November 9th, 2007 at 01:24 am 1194571496
November 9th, 2007 at 06:18 pm 1194632315
The funny thing is we rarely go out and usually the kids are fine. I don't understand when all my friends say they can't take their kids out. I am like my youngest is 2 - of course he is fine to sit at a restaurant. ???
Of course kids will never be "perfect" 100% of the time. I remember I really wanted to go out for my 29th birthday and both my infant and 2yo were NIGHTMARES. So we left before we finished dinner. Not fun. LOL. The best parents will have BAD days. I just hope people are sympathetic to that too. OF course you figure the parents who look mortified and walk out in this situation usually fare better with their kids. The frustating thing is the kids running amok with uncaring parents.