Sub Section 01: Being Polite – Saying Thank You!

Much to our delight as children, an old aunt would stop by with a chocolate, a neighbour would offer a treat as we cycle around the neighbourhood, a friend’s older brother or sister would stop to help when our shoe laces get undone or we are struggling with our school bag. All of us have had the grace of God in some way or form while we were growing up and thanks to a multitude of kind acts from people both known and unknown, we have managed to stand on our feet as young adults and grown ups.

Since there will be these limitless encounters which warrant a warm word of appreciation, as we groom the next generation, gratitude is something that we must teach at an early stage. It is necessary to teach children to thank the maids, grandparents, siblings, parents and teachers as much as they are taught to thank visitors, strangers or other lesser known people. This is the only way that we can be sure that they would automatically thank anyone for the simplest of kind deeds.

Here are five simple tricks that you can practise everyday to make ‘saying thank you’ habitual to your child:

01.Say it to them – Thank them profusely, clearly and whenever they do the slightest kind deed or favour.

02.Say it often – Make sure that it is a phrase that is commonly heard at home and that appreciation is expressed in different ways.

03.Say it in their presence – Whether it is the maid or the butler, your old aunt who called from Texas or the boy next door, if a word of gratitude is needed, say it. Don’t miss out on the opportunity as kids pick up fast and they are all ears.

04.Make it a big deal – Make a thank you the highlight of the day and don’t let it get undermined as a simple thing or one that does not matter much.

05.Remind and Reinforce – If the child or anyone at home for that matter forgets to say thank you where applicable, remind them to do so.

Children emulate adults and pick up fast; if you don’t hear enough thank yous from them, that could be because they are not hearing enough thank yous from you. Be generous in your words of appreciation to them and to everyone you encounter – it is a real moral booster.

Photo by Courtney Hedger on Unsplash