Little Miss Manners

A wise man once said, “Friends and good manners will carry you where money won’t go.” So if you’re like us, you might be feeling some pressure to brush up on your manners—and at the very least get Jack and Jill on the which-fork-to-use program.

According to entrepreneur, teacher, mother, grandmother and great grandmother J. Taylor Hughes, manners are life skills that should be taught alongside basics like how to tie laces or look both ways. As life has become increasingly casual (and hectic) parents have turned away from teaching formal manners and in many ways, old school manners have become a luxury.

Admittedly we would love our children to have impeccable manners at restaurants, events or Christmas dinner at Grandma’s house. If the “please chew with your mouth closed” or “take your napkin off your head” is getting you down, turn to Etiquette for Success for early intervention.

Etiquette for Success teaches children aged three to fourteen the foundations for a lifetime of charm and dignity. Classes focus on table etiquette and social skills including thank you cards, holding doors, giving up your seat on the bus and pushing only the necessary buttons on the elevator (now there’s a life lesson).

You can register for classes at the Edgemont Community Association on weekends. If you are worried about the upcoming holiday meals with the grandparents, there is space in a pre-holiday class running Saturday November 29 and Saturday December 6 from 11 am to 1 pm.

As for you, look for etiquette for grown ups to be offered in the New Year as well as family etiquette classes for preschoolers and their caregivers.

Think of it as an investment in your family’s education. But most of all remember these words taught to us by another wise man, “Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners.”

Etiquette for Success
www.etiquette4success.ca
(403) 547-5831

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