Back to School & Social Graces

In my eyes, social grace is the way God expects us to be. He expects us to be kind, respectful and love one another. It should be taught to our children by example in our everyday lives. Unfortunately with social media of today, our children see more disrespect, unkindness and lack of love than they do grace. This is why it does not hurt to re-start those graces in which God would like for us to practice by practicing them with our children everyday and encouraging them to conduct their days with love, kindness and respect. Really you cannot have one without the others.

Many will disagree with my theory and say social grace is not "grace" in the eyes of God. But think about it for a second; if you love, you are kind to others and you respect yourself, you will respect others! Teaching your children social grace encompasses all of the above! So why not give it a try?

You cannot start teaching children Social Graces too soon, and now is a great time to brush up on those skills before you send them back to school! Emily Post's The Gift of Good Manners: A Parents Guide to Raising Respectful, Kind Considerate Children is a great book and can be found on Amazon for $12.58!

Your child's new teacher will certainly appreciate all of your efforts, I can assure you! Emily Post suggests that you start by building empathy with your child to help teach good behavior and manners. Helping your child to understand kindness and love along with truthfulness is a great way to start. Tell them you expect them to play well with others, to share and be inclusive. Reminding them of how it feels when others did not share with them, or include them, is building empathy and helps them to understand. Expect the best behavior from your child, and nine times out of ten they will exhibit it. Give them little reminders each day about inviting their new friends to join in and gentle reminders about remembering to say please and thank you or yes/no 'mam or sir.

Before school starts, get back in a nightly routine of sitting down together for dinner as a family. Have your little ones set the table encouraging right placement of utensils. I carry a new line of personalized place mats that have the place settings on the place mat. A great way for them to learn! (click here for place mats) When at the table follow through with polite conversation and encourage your child to sit with no elbows or heads on the table; and most of all....try to chew with their little mouths closed!

These gentle reminders will help them to develop basic social grace that they can build upon as they grow. You will be helping your child and making her/his teacher so happy! A teacher just loves a polite well mannered, kind, loving, truthful, loving child and so will you!
Click below for link to Amazon for Emily Post's The Gift of Good Manners
Emily Post's Book