Mind those Ps and Qs …

There’s something I just have to know. Is everyone else having as much trouble as me getting my toddler and 4-year-old to remember to say please and thank you? I drill it into them like an army staff sergeant, but I still find myself having to remind them at least 20 times a day. Worst of all, I sound just like my mother! Oh no!

I was raised in an environment where children waited for adults to finish their conversation rather than interrupting, where they said please when they wanted something and thank you when they got it. Call me old-fashioned, but I think these are really wonderful values to instill in my children, but geez, no one warned me it would be so hard or take so much endless repeating. 

I’m also struggling to instill the concept of not always getting what you want. BC (before children), I always swore that I would not raise over-indulged children, but without intending it, it seems that I have. Yikes, as my four-year-old likes to say. Having the ability to give them things, but balancing that against giving them too much too often, is a tricky tightrope to walk. For me, it all boils down to the manners thing – understanding that we don’t always come first, that you can’t always demand and just get what you want, that being kind and respectful to others is a nicer, gentler way to live one’s life.

In this instant gratification, “gimme” culture we live in these days, I find it really depressing to see so many unruly, impolite or downright rude children running around, never mind the parents.

Am I crazy to think that manners still matter?
What do you think? I’d love to get your feedback.

Running Amok in Mommytown