Call me old fashioned but, I love to be around people with good manners. I'm not speaking about knowing all the little details (I really get confused with those kind of things since I live basically an informal life style). I'm speaking about kindness, courtesy, thoughtfulness, not letting doors slam in people's faces, not making rude noises, not interrupting people when they are speaking, being thoughtful and tidy, and all of that good stuff! In other words, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Of course, good manners start at home so I've decided to make a huge effort to work with Ave, and with anyone else in the house who is interested in improving their manners. I just purchased two books, Manners Made Easy by June Hines Moore, and Everyday Graces by Karen Santorum. I will be including these two books into Ave's home school lesson plan.
Today we worked on proper behavior when meeting someone for the first time. We practiced. He thought it was kind of funny. Hopefully, this will help him. Typically, he looks away when meeting people for the first time and mumbles a "Hi" or something like that. So today he practiced what June Hines Moore calls the 6 Six's 1. Stand (stand up when meeting someone for the first time) 2. Smile 3. See (Look directly at them) 4. Shake (shake hands) 5. Speak (Introduce yourself) 6. Say (Repeat their name). So far so good. I was the new person he was meeting, so for fun I made sure to tell him in a high pitched old lady voice, "My what a well mannered young boy you are. It was so nice meeting you."
Anyway, I will let you know if the books help or not. Also, if you see Ave using good manners, please give him some positive reinforcement.
You're homeschooling? I didn't know that. :)
ReplyDeleteI need to check out those books. Julianna doesn't always do the best in new situations, so that might give me some ideas on how to train her. She gets her social graces from her Momma, I'm afraid. :)
~Kelly~
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteYes,I started homeschooling Ave about 6 or 7 weeks ago. I really enjoyed homeschooling my older children (I homeschooled them through 8th grade), but I thought I was just too busy to homeschool Ave. However, circumstances complelled me to, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. As far as manners go, if Julianna gets her social graces from her Momma, she'll do great!
Ha! I have you fooled well. I'm an introvert and Julianna doesn't always respond to unfamiliar social situations with the appropriate, shall we say, tact? Lol. Glad things are going well for you. HSing is harder than I expected - I have a strong willed girl who tests every boundry, but we are plugging through. :)
ReplyDeleteI want those books! not for me but for Logan! lol Manners are a very good and rare thing too! I passed this girl that was my age at Target. I smiled and she glared at me. I have been glared at so many times! If someone smiles at me, I smile back.
ReplyDeleteWell you know, McKenna, boys usually do need to work a little harder on manners than girls do. For some reason manners just don't come as easy for many boys. Burping and making rude noises-some boys (and old men) just love these things and think they are soooo funny!
ReplyDeleteAnyway dear, don't worry about when people do not smile at you. Sometimes it's because they are so use to having a bad attitude that they are just not sure what to do when someone has a pleasant smile and a great attitude. Pretend your a Royal Queen and just keep on smiling!
Don't worry, I don't care! at least adults smile! (well, most at the least.) I have a whole list of boys that I know that think those gross thing are funny! (including grown men) so, we girls have to set an example for those rude boys. lol!
ReplyDeleteKelly, homeschooling is definitely work, and a full time job. However, it will be the most fulfilling and rewarding job that you will ever have. I homeschooled Kass and Gene through 8th grade, and Kass says that she is so glad that I did. She wants to homeschool her children one day
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I take each day as it comes and try to focus on the concept of just learning and not perfection. I think sometimes we feel that we have to measure up to someone else's expectations or to some text book's expectations, and we forget the joy of just learning. I do not pressure myself to do tons of projects, field trips, or anything else for that matter. Most of our field trips are outtings with my mom and dad. Sometimes, my mom even helps out. Homeschooling is an adventure for us, but I definitely plan on keeping it a happy one.
Have fun with it, relax, if you or Julianna don't like something about it feel free to change it or come back to it another day. Whether they learn the concept today or next week, they will learn it. So, don't stress and enjoy.
I thought that I would add to my last comment for whatever it's worth. Although, I am enjoying and loving homeschooling Ave, I don't think it is the only way to get a great education, and I don't think it's for everyone. As for me, I'm taking it year by year. Only God knows what the future holds.
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