In her most recent post, Life Without Pink blogger Tina noted that she and her husband find it incredibly important to raise their two sons to be kind and respectful to others, and gave other parents her eight tips on teaching her boys to be little gentlemen:
(To read her full post, click here.)
1. Lead by example. Boys need a role model, someone in their life they can look up to and learn from. Both my husband and Dad always take the time to teach the boys new things. Not only is it important to be an example but it’s also important to explain things to them so they understand. I’m thankful to have two great men in their lives to help guide them.
2. Make eye contact. I want my boys to walk into a room with confidence, shake someone’s hand and look them in the eye. Making eye contact helps build self-confidence.
3. Be Polite. Every gentleman uses the words “Please”, “Thank you”, “Excuse me”, “Can I help you?” and they even know when to say “I’m sorry.” If my boys demand something, I tell them to ask again nicely. It’s all in the tone and I never let them get away with talking nasty.
4. Give up your seat. A few months ago, we were on a Disney bus headed back to our hotel. A pregnant women got onto the bus and my husband (who was standing) asked my oldest to let the woman sit in his seat. He eagerly got up so she could sit down. When we got off the bus, my husband explained to him why he asked him to get up so he understood.
5. Acknowledge their actions. I make sure when I see my boys doing something nice or polite to tell them how proud I am of them. I want them to know what they did was good and that this is the type of behavior my husband and I expect.
6. Help others. I tell my boys that even though someone may seem like they don’t need help, it’s always nice to offer it. Just like when my boys helped me carry in groceries and opened the door for me, I made sure to tell them that I appreciated their help.
7. Table manners. We always make sure our boys sit straight in their chairs, don’t use their hands to eat, and keep their elbows off the table. This is still a work in progress, but we aren’t going to give up!
8. Good work ethic. Of course my boys think money grows on trees, so we try to show them that you need to work hard to earn money. I’m proud to say they are always eager to grab their tools and help my husband around the house. We do reward them for their hard work and this keeps them excited for the next project they can help with.
