Common Courtesy Wake-Up Call
A common courtesy minor event caught me by surprise. My 9-year-old son, Aaron, rushed through the door of our local Community Center ahead of me. One of our good friends called out, as she exited carrying an arm-full of packages, “Please hold the door open.”
To my chagrin, he yelled out, “I can’t!” and kept running to the playground. It hurts to see how selfish and rude children can be at times.
Proverbs 27:10 says, “Never abandon a friend–either yours or your father’s. Then you won’t need to go to a distant relative for help in your time of need.”
Parenting Wake-Up Call
At that moment, it hit me. I had not done a good job of teaching Aaron respect for my friend or adults in general. Kids have to learn common courtesies. They will either learn directly from us or copy behaviors of kids around them. As I walked from the Community Center, I developed a strategy to help Aaron catch-up on some social manners I had neglected to define for him.
Common Courtesy Helps
First, I determined to not let any future mistake go unchallenged. Every time he was rude, I’d find a private time to to carefully explain his mistake.
Second, I’d teach manners and common courtesy by repetition and reason. I began to look for examples, followed by explaining why we should treat others this better way.
Third, I’d give a more drastic lesson of the traits I wanted to see in him. I looked for extra opportunities myself to give aid to others when around Aaron.
Did it help?
Well, it might take years to determine the final verdict. But I did notice some progress in the social graces. At a crowded shopping center, I waited for Aaron as he very carefully held the door open for every woman going into a department store. Watching him having fun being courteous, I wasn’t about to stop him. So, I patiently waited.
Stephen Bly
Copyright©1989
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