16 Manners You Wish Kids Had These Days
Today’s youth sit on screen toys for hours, paying zero regard to their surroundings. With this increase in screen time comes a rise in bad behavior, I believe. Of course, this isn’t the main reason kids today act out.
Parents assert fewer rules and guidelines over their behavior, causing them to act however they please and still get rewarded. Handing a kid an iPad to make them behave does not replace discipline. Instead, it gives them the idea that acting poorly constitutes a distraction. What other manners do you think kids today lack?
1. Leaving Messes
Last time you ate at a restaurant, did you notice many kids wreaking havoc on the poor server? The child throws around food and crayons, creating their portrait, yet never cleans it up. Should the parent tell the kid to clean up their mess? Should the kid clean it up on their own? Why is the child allowed to act like this? This type of messy behavior raises all of these questions.
2. Please and Thank you
Some of the first words I learned as a child were the simple-mannered please and thank you. We learned to say “please” when asking for something and “thank you” if someone gave or helped us. Three simple words make all the difference. Why don’t more kids repeat them today?
3. Not Interrupting
Speak when spoken to, and don’t interrupt. That’s another primary rule taught to us as small children. Respond to your elders when they ask questions and treat them with respect. When one person speaks, wait for them to finish their thought before cutting off their sentence. Jumping in a conversation without permission or cause irritates anyone.
4. Loud Noises
Remember the last time you perused the grocery store aisles? Say you walked down the chip aisle and noticed a screaming child making various noises. The parent ignored them, allowing them to continue disrupting the collective calm, and kept reading the chip bag ingredients. According to a thread on a popular internet site, children years ago were taught when and where to be quiet. Part of this played into the role of their parents enforcing these rules.
5. Rude Behavior
I babysit a group of kids, and while they are relatively well-mannered, I’ve met a few of their friends who weren’t raised in that vein. Their friends laugh when others get hurt, disrespect their teachers, talk badly about their supposed friends, and show little to no care toward their parents.
6. Waiting Their Turn
Envision this scenario. A child wants to play in the sandbox, though the playpen has reached total capacity. A nice, well-mannered child would sit on the sidelines, waiting patiently for an opportunity to arise when they can take another child’s spot. An ill-mannered child would barge into the sandbox, overflowing the play place and disrupting everyone’s fun.
7. Not Asking Permission
I remember one of the worst things we could do in elementary school was perform an act without explicit permission. If we wanted to switch activities, we needed verbal permission from the teacher; if we wanted to go to the bathroom, we needed to raise our hand and ask nicely. Many people think today’s youth lack the need to receive permission from authority figures.
8. Lying
None of these behaviors should shock anyone as new because kids are kids. It’s more of the rise in select behaviors. Then again, is there an actual rise in these behaviors, or is it more noticeable from social media and exposure? Who knows? Nonetheless, a massive nod to poor manners constitutes a habit of lying. Saying one person will do something without doing it or straight up fibbing. Kids will always lie; this speaks to them lying without consequence.
9. Mouth Open Yawning
I’ve noticed quite several friends and family members yawn in public without caring to cover their mouths. I’m unsure when society migrated from yawning into our hands or handkerchiefs to yawning for the entire world to see. An open-mouth yawn indicates boredom or disinterest, which translates as rude behavior when performed in public settings. For example, a child yawning toward their teacher showcases disrespect toward the lesson.
10. Electronic Use
My high school banned cell phone use in the classroom during my senior year. Teachers and faculty reported difficulty communicating with students and getting through to them because their eyes remained glued to their phones. Today, small children know how to use smartphones and spend much time stuck to their iPads. Older generations think electronic addiction equals inconsiderate behavior.
11. Excuse Me
“Excuse me” is another important, respectful phrase, along with please and thank you. One says “Excuse me” when one bumps into someone else, belches, or moves in front of another person. How many kids do you know today who use this phrase?
12. Keep Comments About Appearance to Yourself
Never offer opinions on someone else’s appearance. A few weeks ago, I witnessed a young girl ask a 23-year-old why her face had so many dots. Since the young girl did not know what acne was, she caused the older girl great upset surrounding her appearance. Kids should refrain from stating observations like this aloud, but how will they know when to stay quiet without rule implementation?
13. Greetings
“Hi, how are you?” “Welcome.” “Good morning.” “Good night.” All of these phrases represent a basic understanding of polite human communication. During the first few moments of an interaction, greetings set the tone for the rest of the conversation. A conversation where one person says “Good morning” and a child stares back in silence and expresses bad manners.
14. Poor Language
Kids repeat what they hear. A household entire of swearing and yelling cultivates a child who swears and yells. To limit kids’ poor language choices, limit what you say around them or what they hear. A child who watches R-rated movies with their parents will likely repeat words from the film.
15. Holding the Door
Notice someone walking behind you? Hold the door open for them. Holding the door open for another person displays good manners and etiquette. A person who slams a door in another’s face, despite seeing them, won’t hold a spot in polite society.
16. Napkin Use
Bibs, napkins, and cloth all serve a similar purpose: to clean up one’s face during mealtime. Well-mannered kids and people use their napkins while eating to clean up excess food messes and dirt from their faces and surroundings.
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