All right, moms! Since finishing school isn’t really a thing anymore, good manners have to start at home. And since we can’t expect our kids to behave in a way we aren’t willing to behave ourselves, it might be some time for family manners.
Family manners are part of your family’s identity. They include how you treat one another, how you handle each other’s property, how you interact at mealtime, and more. A little like having a family mission statement, having family manners solidifies your your kids’ connection to your family unit and helps them feel safe and secure. And if you want your kids to get invited back to their friends’ houses, having expectations for manners at your home is the perfect place to start.
We’ve all met that person—a coworker, a college roommate, maybe someone we went on a date with years ago—whose manners left something to be desired. Maybe you wondered what life was like at home for him growing up (or maybe your own mother asked if your boyfriend was raised by wolves). Not that families have to sit for a formal meal seven nights a week or never leave a towel on the bathroom floor, but if you don’t have a set of standard manners at home, it’s unlikely your kids will show good manners outside the home either, and that follows them into adulthood.
Our printable family manners page is simple yet refrigerator or bedroom door-worthy. Just hang it up and as your kids need a reminder of “what we do in our house,” just point to the specific manner. But if you use this correctly and your kids know what’s expected of them, don’t be surprised if they call you out on bad manners. Family manners include Mom and Dad, too!
Get more help with manners here with 19 Good Manners for Kids.
