Teaching your child their P’s and Q’s

Google the term ‘Mind your P’s and Q’s’ and it comes back with a myriad of meanings. To mothers, it only means one thing: Mind your Please and Thank you ‘s! Our children need to learn to treat others the way they want to be treated. They can only do so by learning their manners.

We teach our children to mind their P’s and Q’s so that they not only learn manners but also learn gratitude. It’s their first step in humility too. Isn’t it interesting how everything is interconnected?

Teach your child to say please and Thank you –> they learn to feel gratitude –> also learn humility.

If you’ve just started to teach your child to mind his P’s and Q’s or are having trouble with making the lesson stick, here are a few things you can do.

Explain why Please and Thank you is important

You can’t enforce behaviour without explaining why it’s important. Children tend to question and their favourite question is ‘Why?’ So when the inevitable question arises, tell them. They won’t understand without examples though so use different scenarios. Ask them how they would feel if they gave someone a gift and he just accepted it without acknowledging it. Or said he didn’t want it?

Manners are important because other people have feelings just like us. Being polite to others shows that we care about and respect them.

Set a good example

Explaining isn’t enough. They have to see the behaviour day in and out. The only way to do that is for you to set a good example. If you’re not diligent with your P’s and Q’s, then expecting your child to be is unrealistic. When trying to set a good example make sure you Please and Thank you’s are not just limited to people your own age or those older than you. Thank your children for doing a chore or bringing you water or cleaning up their room. Thank a stranger for helping you. When your child see’s you practicing what you preach, they’ll follow in your footsteps and ask fewer questions.

Practice with them

Practice make perfect. As a parent, your job is to be patient and repeat the lesson again and again. Practice with them till saying please and thank you become second nature to them.

Keep reminding them

Kids have a very short attention span. They’ll either forget or remember too late. Instead of scolding them after they’ve forgotten (for the 100^th time) use positive reinforcement and remind them. Remind them by simply asking ‘What do you say when you want something?’ or ‘What do you say when someone does something for you?’

Reward them

Kids love being praised and rewarded. Often praise is enough reward but every now and then when they remember their P’s and Q’s without you having to remind them, give them a little treat.

How did you teach your child to say please and thank you? Share your ways!