Jen over at Sprite’s Keeper promotes weekly fun with the Spin Cycle. This week’s topic is Manners…Everyone has a different philosophy when it comes to manners. What’s yours?

‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ go a long way. I learned that growing up, my parents were sticklers for having good manners. We would get nothing if we demanded it, less if we acted up. It amazes me how manners tend to be lacking wherever we go. Princess Nagger knows that she’s not going to get anything by simply demanding it. A typical conversation can go like this:

PN: “I want a glass of milk.”

Me: “Thanks for sharing.”

PN: “No, Mama, I said, I want a glass of milk!”

Me: “And I said, thanks so much for sharing – it’s nice to know what you want.”

PN: “Well? Are you going to get me a glass of milk?”

Me: “What?”

PN: “A glass of milk?”

Me: “What?”

PN: “I said…are you going to get me a glass of milk?”

Me: “What?”

PN: “Oh………may I have you to get me a glass of milk, please?”

Some days the ‘What?’ doesn’t give her enough of a clue, so it takes a little longer for the light bulb to light up over her head, but eventually she gets it. I have a habit of pulling the ‘What?’ card on other people’s kids, too, if they ask me for something without that magic word…sometimes it’s appreciated, sometimes it’s not.

You know that saying, ‘Practice what you Preach?’ We’re big on that one – I can’t expect her to exhibit good manners if I don’t, so I do make sure that if I tell ask her to do something, I add the ‘Please’ to it, as well as the ‘Thank You’ when it’s accomplished. I can only hope that she continues with the good manners when I’m not around to annoy prompt her to do so.
I do, however, have to remind hubby more often than not to exhibit ‘good manners’, especially when the Princess Nagger is around – I really don’t want her picking up the habit of letting out a nice juicy fart or loud burp and follow that with the statement ‘Ahhhh! That was a good one!’ like hubby tends to do…at least he now follows that statement with ‘Oh, and excuse me!’ Princess Nagger is on the right track – she has been complimented as a nice, polite child. Hubby, on the other hand, is still a work on progress.

Want to read some excellent spins? Then click here. 🙂


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24 Comments

  1. Good morning, May I please leave you a comment. Thank you so much for leaving me this space. I’ve also noticed that when you add those small little pees and ques your kids “do” more of what you would like them to do. Respect demands Respect. It’s all a step in the right direction of growing great adults.
    Thank you so much for taking the time to read my comment 🙂

  2. My parents did the same damn thing- and I’m so glad they did! They were big on “CAN I” and “MAY I” too. It makes such a big difference when you interact with people out in the big world!

  3. Great post. It’s not just about saying the magic words, but it’s also about the way they say them. Good manners do go a long way. 🙂

    What gets me shaking my head are not so much the kids who forget to say Please or Thank you, but rather the adults who are with them who don’t step in and show them how.

  4. Oh Stacy…it was such a sweet little post to read while having my morning coffee until I got to the big juicy fart part! Haha! Juicy is a most descriptive word to use! I’ve just now decided that juicy is on my list of words I hate…so thanks Stacy for broadening my mind and brightening my day as usual! 🙂

    ps – PN looks so big in that photo! Make it stop!

  5. I know what you mean I have two boys (now 22 and 24) it wasn’t easy teaching manners to boys especially when they still forget to put the toilet seat down. However what manners they learn was to respect others. I think they turn out very well One is in technology sales and the youngest just made All American in shot put along with many other sports. Your little girl is adorable. I do enjoy visiting!

  6. I always have to remind myself to live up to my own expectations in front of Sprite since you’re completely right. It doesn’t really register with them unless they see you do it too.
    Sprite will say “thank you very much” for just about anything since she happens to love saying it. I’m not sure she completely gets it since she’ll say it when I’m telling her to stop sitting on the beagle. Oy. Great Spin! You’re linked!

  7. I am right there with ya. Instead of “what?” I say “excuse me?” It only takes once, they know what I am talking about. And there is the ever nagging “did you forget something?” when they should be saying “thank you.”

  8. You will see it even more as she gets older, kids totally pick up everything we say and do. Sometimes, one of my kids will come out with something that I would totally say and it just makes me laugh. Occasionally, I am horrified, but fortunately, more often I laugh or am just very proud.

  9. She is such a doll, and this is so great! I do the same thing with my boys. It’s good to just get them in the habit!

  10. That’s such a kid thing to do too, just say something louder obviously because if someone’s saying “what” then they probably can’t hear you. lol. My five year old is guilty of this too, “I want chips.” Then “You forgot to get me chips.” Uhm, nope, I just don’t respond to orders…thank you very much. 😉 Good spin, that princess is too cute for her own good.

  11. Your daughter is lovely, and I admire you for making her say “please, may I”. With a good mama like you, she will turn out just fine!

  12. I drive the kids I nanny for nuts. I pretend I don’t hear them until they add a please to their command. They’ll start to get annoyed because they think I’m not listening and then it will dawn on them why I haven’t answered them yet and they’ll quickly change their tone!

  13. I just look at my kids and say excuse me! Then they get the hint.
    Your little one is too funny! TFS

  14. I find my children have better manners at younger ages. Jillian has beautiful manners right now. Matt used to have, but I notice him slacking more now. And Emily, hers have all but disappeared!

  15. Look at you spinning. Was this your first time spinning? Wait, you’ve spun before? I’m confused.

    Ditto on the kids with good manners, I have a look that I shoot Graham when he forgets to say please or thank you and at two, he already knows what that look means.

  16. I raised all boys and they all have good manners. It can be done. I shared Miss Manners with them the whole time they were growing up. I just used it as a resource when certain things come up like writing thank you notes. Today my sons send me thank you notes in the mail from NYC and Michigan. I think manners are very important.

  17. Why is it so much easier to train the kids than it is to train the hubby lol. I am amazed at how many kids these days aren’t being taught manners in the least. I work with some teens at my job and they use the most foul language…when I remind them that there is a lady in the room…they look at me like I’m nuts. sheeesh some peoples kids!

  18. I’ve gotten to the point with my oldest that if I don’t like what/how he says, I just say ‘Manners’ and he rewords it. It’s a work in progress.

  19. Well this is basically a day in my life too except insert the words excuse me for what and a boy child for a girl and that’s us! Nice to know someone else is not caving to the manners of a youngster.

  20. You are too funny! I am a stickler for manners – I never like being “ordered” around, so my kids have very good manners. What really bothers me is when I hear adults forgetting their pleases and thank yous out in public…

    Hopefully your husband will come around soon!

  21. heehee Love it! I bugs me so much when rude kids are around. I totally appreciate your efforts and other parents should too!

    Yesterday, I was at the zoo with my sister and nephews. The baby is 16 months old. My sister is very much into getting the boys to say please and thank you. So when she hands Kingston something she always says ‘thank you’. It was funny though cuz he’s not talking very much yet. So when she handed him his sippy yesterday and he didn’t say anything she says “He has no manners. Evan was saying please and thank you at 10 months!”. lol I told her that he doesn’t say anything cuz Evan does all the talking for him.

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