What are some things that we emphasize in our home? Learning and practicing good manners is some of the basics we discuss a lot. Being home with the kids together at all times, I witness so many situation my almost 7 years old and 9 years old react their own naive way where I just want to cringe.
If you know what I mean. We as an adult have learned over the years with our own parents or through experiences from being in a social environment what is right or wrong. I wish there was a really good book kids can read about basic code of conduct in social life. Perhaps there is?? So many situations, but I really feel like kids lack understanding on basic common sense. But I’m beginning to understand that these common sense are only given if you were educated or have experienced situations. It takes years or I should say a lifetime to become an adult of your own self image. I realize that I cannot expect my children to be able to comprehend our society, because they literally just finished getting potty trained and learning basic mathematics. Nico and Eleni who is less than 10 years old could have not yet experience life where they would have developed their “common sense.” Just like my youngest Nolan who is 3 years old is barely learning that food is eaten at the table and we say thank you after a meal. I tell Nico who is 7, please don’t interrupt when an adult is speaking, wait for your turn; and I ask Eleni, please think of mommy and see if I need a glass of water or hand in anything I’m doing. My children needs reminders. It’s a different generation where so many things are provided to them that they stop thinking for others.
“Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we make ourselves happy, but how we make ourselves worthy of happiness.” –Immanuel Kant
These are some of the things we constantly practice at home, in hopes that they will be mindful people. Manners require practice just like their piano practice or eating good healthy food. It’s harder to do and if we don’t practice now the chances are that you will have to learn the harder way as an adult if they ever learn. Encouraging my kids to THINK is all I can do right now. It takes a whole lot of explaining, examples and practicing reasoning . It’s a constant struggle because there are still so many stepping stones ahead before they can develop their own philosophy of what is right and wrong, but never too early to start teaching them to see beyond what they see.
