10 Secrets to Having Polite Kids Over the Holidays
When the Gift Isn’t Great To avoid outbursts like ‘I don’t like it!’ or ‘Where’s the toy?’ a little role-playing can help hit the point home about being polite. Practise the appropriate response (‘thank you’ works) no matter what the gift is. Some say it’s faking it—we say it’s acknowledging kindness.
When the Guests Arrive
If they can walk and talk, they can answer the door and greet people with a smile. Encourage little ones to help with guests’ bags/coats/gloves and to shake hands with everyone as they arrive. This requires a lot of practise with handshakes and direct eyeball-to-eyeball contact. Practise ‘hands and eyeballs’ and repeat often.
No Toys, Screens or Phones at the Table
Kids can find it hard to keep distractions at bay during a long meal. (This applies to adult family members as well.) Make it clear that, at the table, the only communication accepted is conversational. (But allow kids with clean plates to escape after a reasonable time.)
If these 10 Secrets to Polite Kids fail, keep it simple by feeding them something without sugar before you go to a party—and bribe, if necessary.
It’s all part of the season of joy for parents of little rock stars.
