How can we expect children to grow up to have good manners when most adults cannot even conduct themselves like actual adults! At least children have an excuse, they are young and don’t know any better, they are tired and don’t know how to verbally express themselves. What is the adults’ excuse?!

I love to people watch, whether it be at work, shopping in the grocery store, sitting at a traffic light, wherever. I often find myself appalled at some of the behavior I see from other adults. People being rude and dishonest on a daily basis, being condesending to strangers and showing a complete lack of manners. Sometimes I laugh when I see a rude adult toting along what will probable become an equally as rude young child. Does the poor kid have a chance? Is it possible to learn good manners from someone who has none?! I think so and this is why.

For all the jerky people I have seen in my life I have also seen plenty with great manners, who show kindness and humilty. I have to believe that not every one of these people grew up with a parent with terrific manners. So some of them must have broke the mold and learned it on their own…I think. I know it takes a lot of extra effort to constantly reinforce good manners and social skills with children, but the end results are well worth it.

Everytime I see an adult do something ridiculous that most 7 year olds would avoid doing I shake my head. When did good manners become something nobody cared about? In our modern world where we have gained so much knowledge and technology, are we forgetting how to act? I hope not, but some days my answer is a definite YES.

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