Politeness is a Virtue!

Scott and I must be very polite people, because our children sure are. I get comments from other parents all the time about how polite our children are. It drives me crazy when we have the kids friends over and they talk to me in a way I would NEVER have talked to my friends parents when I was a kid. My favorite: "Gosh, Nikki, I sure am thirsty." And? I'm supposed to do what with that. First of all, calling me by my first name is a no no. I would have been scared to death of calling my friends parents by their first name. I'm not sure I even knew what they were! There is one little neighbor girl who insists on telling me how things are done at HER house all the time! We don't do it that way, we do it this way. Aaargh. Secondly, ask me for what you want!!! I will gladly get you some water or even kool-aid, just ask me for it! HUGE pet peeve, there.

I guess we teach our kids from an early age how to say please, and thank you. I find myself working really hard with Porter right now. And they can't just tack on a please, when I give them the" look". They have to repeat the sentence back to me with the please involved.

And Scott and I say thank you to the kids all the time. In fact, Zoey now can say three, well, technically four, words. She says Mom, bye and Thank you! She just started saying thank you this week. It's so darn cute. And she knows when to say it, too. When I give her something to eat or a toy, she says thank you. Of course, she doesn't say it that clearly, but I don't think that I could phonically type what she says, but it's thank you for sure, not just mommy interpretation.

I just hope that politeness will become second nature in my kids. I think it's a lost art these days, but I don't want it lost in my house. I'm a mom, I can find anything.