Good manners are something that all parents are proud of and enforce at home and out in public. There are the basics: Say please and thank you, not resting your elbows on the table, and respecting their elders. But with technology changing so quickly and becoming intertwined with everyday life (especially mobile phones), there are some modern etiquette lessons that should be added to the old standards. Here are the top 5.
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No texting when you are at dinner or out with the family. A University of Minnesota study found that children who eat with their parents 4 -5 times a week are less likely to attempt suicide, abuse tobacco, alcohol, and pot, or be depressed. They also tend to get better grades. But to reap these benefits, you have to be “fully present.”
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No texting or talking on the phone when you are with other people. It sends the message that you think the people you are physically with are boring or not as important as any random people who decides to contact you. (There are exceptions, but remember phones are for your convenience, not others.)
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Don’t text in inappropriate places. One example is at the movies. Theaters are dark and a bright cell phone screen can annoy people several rows away.
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Follow cell phone policies in public places. They are designed to keep you from distracting or annoying others. This can be in libraries, schools, restaurants, and churches. Even college professors are shocked that they have to reprimand students for answering a phone call during class or texting. Teaching your kids the rules young will keep them from embarrassment and such later.
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Everyone should turn off their cell phones at night (or don’t charge them in the bedrooms.) Studies have shown that kids sometimes stay up all hours to text friends – this makes them sleepy during school and grades drop. Even if they aren’t using their phone, it still emits frequencies that rev up brain waves and keeps you awake.
These are just a few of the modern etiquette rules that we are responsible for teaching our children. It is best to teach by example – so try and follow these simple rules yourself as well.