Manners Matter

There are so many things that parents have to teach their children.
We teach them to walk and talk.
We teach them to take care of themselves and their physical needs.
We teach them how to get along with others.

Along the way, we teach our children manners.
Please and thank you are important early lessons.
Often a child needs to be prompted when they are first learning.
What do you say? or What’s the magic word? helps trigger the polite response.

Our goal as parents is to have our children do these things on their own without prompting.
In the early stages of learning manners, parental patience is sorely needed.
A child may go a bit overboard, which puts a parent in a dilemma.
Do you encourage their manners, or try to curb their overuse?

I thought of this when my daughter-in-love sent a video to us.
My sweet two-year-old granddaughter was looking at a book.
She was standing with the book on the sofa in front of her.
She was “reading” out loud and telling herself the story.

She happened to notice that her mommy was sitting at the far end of the sofa.
She apparently wanted to read her story in private.
Move, please, she sweetly said to her mommy.
My oldest daughter commented, At least she was polite about it.

I laughed so hard when I saw the video.
She wanted to read the book by herself.
She was telling herself the story page by page.
She didn’t want to have any spectators.

I watched my youngest granddaughter while her mommy and sister went out.
Her sister had her three-year-old checkup at the doctors.
My granddaughter and I played for a bit and then it was time for her morning nap.
She went upstairs easily as we went through her before nap time routine.

She said, Hi, to the decoy duck on the bookshelf.
She said, Hi, to the country pull-toy horse on the very top shelf.
I sang her special song.
I put her teddy and blanket in the crib.

About an hour and a half later, she woke up.
Her mommy and sister came home soon after.
I heard about my granddaughter’s checkup.
My three-year-old granddaughter began to play with the toys that were already on the floor.

My daughter was talking to me as her daughters were playing.
My oldest granddaughter had something very important to tell her mommy.
Her mommy was talking to me.
Learning not to interrupt while someone is talking is something my granddaughter is learning.

Her mommy and daddy are teaching her manners.
Please and thank you are said with only the occasional prompting.
Excuse me, is still being mastered.
My granddaughter knows how to use those words when someone is talking; she really knows.

While her mommy was talking to me, she politely said, Excuse me, Mommy.
My daughter kept talking, since waiting until Mommy is finished is important to learn.
My granddaughter would not be discouraged in her attempt.
Excuse me, Mommy. Excuse me. Excuse me.

She has the concept down correctly.
With maturity, she will learn that saying, Excuse me, once is sufficient.
My daughter and I smiled at each other, trying not to laugh.
Like my oldest daughter said about the earlier video, at least she was polite about it.

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance  and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)

Manners were important to Jesus, too.
Ten lepers were healed by Jesus, as they went along.
Nine lepers continued to walk o the road.
Only one of the men came back to thank Jesus.

The thankful leper had faith in the One who healed him.
That faith made him well.
The leper, who was cleansed, was healed both physically and spiritually.
Jesus cares about the our souls and our bodies.

Thank you, is such an important thing to say.
It is even more important to mean it when you say it.
It takes no time at all to thank someone for something they have done for you.
Being thankful matters.

Manners matter.
Children learn the proper time and place for the mannered things they say.
Repeating, Excuse me, is sweet when you are three-years-old.
Move, please, when said kindly, is sure to make a mommy giggle.

We press on in our training.
Loving consistency is necessary as we teach manners to our children.
Manners matter.
They mattered to Jesus, so they must matter to us as well.