Hi friends! Have you ever come across a bad-mannered adult? One who engaged in some nasty behavior or habit until you asked yourself – who raised this one 😮 ?
Well, if you don’t raise your child with good manners and habits, rest assured that they’ll most likely become adults with uncouth behavior.
So today, I want to list down basic manners that were taught to us at a very young age by our moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, big sisters, minders and basically the village that raised us. These are habits that guided our behavior, especially in public places. Habits that we have carried on into our adulthood –and which have made us into the pleasant people that we are today.
I share them so that you can do a checklist to ensure that your children are well guided. But the most important thing for you to remember is that children learn more by observation, so if you yourself are uncultured, your children will be just like you.
- Always chew with your mouth closed
- Don’t chew loudly and don’t slurp (eat or drink something with a loud sucking noise – vrrrruuuuuuu)
- Don’t talk with food in your mouth
- Don’t lean into your plate while eating – bring food to your mouth instead
- No elbows on the dining table
- When something at the dining table is far, don’t stretch yourself to reach out for it -putting your clothing in other people’s plates or knocking down dishes in the process. Just politely ask that it be passed on to you
- Take your cup, plate and spoon to the kitchen when done. Empty any bones or waste into the dustbin before placing the dishes in the sink
- Don’t lick your plate after a meal – no matter how sumptuous the food was!
- Wait to be offered food, don’t immediately start helping yourself to it without the hosts’ permission
- Don’t pull in your mucus loudly or wipe it on your hand – always have a clean handkerchief with you
- Don’t clear your phlegm loudly or spit it onto the streets… pthuuu
- Don’t pick your nose and worse –eat the remnants of what you’ve picked
- Don’t spit in public!
- Always cover your mouth while coughing or sneezing
- Say ‘excuse me’ after sneezing and don’t wipe the remnants of that sneeze on the chair, desk, or on your clothes. Sneeze into a handkerchief
- Shake hands with a firm grip
- Don’t interrupt adults who are having a conversation
- Give up your seat for adults, elderly people, pregnant women, people with disability etc
- Wash your hands after using the toilet and before eating
- Use the magic words – please, thank you, excuse me, sorry
- Knock before entering a room and wait for a response
- Never make fun of other people’s looks
Also see how this mom, Angela, disciplines her children in the video below
So there you go. I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. Did I forget any? Add them in the comments section below and lets raise well-mannered children together.
Mummy Tales is a blog that contains lots of helpful articles that will help you navigate your motherhood journey. Feel free to search the blog for other experiences of Kenyan moms that may teach you a thing or two. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
