As parents, we all dream of raising a polite child who knows when to say thank you and wen to say please. HEALTH meets an expert who details how to teach our children manners that will stay with them through adulthood. The best way parents can follow to teach their children is to show them the example and act the way we are telling them to do.

Good Manners Are Education

From saying please and thank you to sitting politely at the dining table, it often seems that basic manners have become far less common in today’s teens and children. To explain, Nour Khouri Roumieh, Managing Partner at Finishing Touch FZ LLC in Dubai reiterates that good manners are education, parents strive to teach their children and finishing schools reinforce the principles and manners learned at home. “However unfortunately, with the wide scale exposure to many TV shows and internet, including social media, children can pick up the wrong manners and start implementing them in their daily life,” she says.

Universal manners

While each culture has a set of manners that is valued and respected, according to Roumieh, the fact is that good manners are universal and no matter where we come from, we all know that being polite is a must. Some of these rules, she adds, include:

1. Do not interrupt when someone is talking.
2. Greet when you meet someone.
3. Stand up to show respect when elder people are entering a room.

Many more are universal however a few things differentiate from one country to another. “For instance eating with left hand can be considered an issue where in Europe people hold the fork with the left hand,” she explains.

The top manners all children/teens must be taught:

1. Cover your mouth while yawning, coughing or sneezing.
2. Do not chew gum/blow gum in classrooms.
3. Do not spit or throw things on the floor.
4. To always use the magic words–please, sorry, and thank you.
5. Respect of parents, teachers and other adults. It begins from the minute they wake up; in the morning by saying “Good Morning” with a big smile.
6. Do not damage any public or home properties.
7. Don’t push people in public areas such as escalators/walking conveyors or elevators.
8. Respect neighbors and keep noise level low.
9. Do not fight with sibling.
10. Do not lie and be confident and honest.