Elbows Off the Table, Napkin in the Lap, No Video Games During Dinner: The Modern Guide to Teaching Children Good Manners

Elbows Off the Table, Napkin in the Lap, No Video Games During Dinner: The Modern Guide to Teaching Children Good Manners

Once upon a time girls stopped wearing dresses to school and put on jeans and tie-dyed T-shirts. It was the Age of Aquarius, when old rules of behavior no longer seemed to apply. But now that the flower children have children of their own, they're starting to wonder what the new rules ought to be. Manners expert Carol McD. Wallace, who has two sons of her own, comes to the rescue with a clear, contemporary guide to what today's parents should teach their children, when to teach it, and how to do so with turning their homes into boot camp. Here, in the kind of knowing detail only a parent could offer, are step-by-step guides to: --Basic Training: The dawn of civilized behavior, or how to teach 3- to 5-year-olds to behave at meals, say "please" and "thank you", share, and apologize. --The Age of Reason: Refining the manners of 6- to 9- year-olds at home and abroad. --The Young Sophisticate: How to bring the manners of 10- to 12- year olds to high polish and, --Manners for Parents: Everything from when it's okay to bring your child into work to privacy--your own and your children's. Too many people believe that "manners" are only snobbish, picky rules about curtsies and fish forks, but Wallace (coauthor of The Official Preppy Handbook, Workman, 1980) reminds us that civilized behavior makes life more pleasant for all of us. She translates the basic rules for children into simple terms, with easy pointers for parents. She divides childhood into three stages: preschool, the "age of reason" (six through nine), and the pre-teen years, providing guidance in the levels of civility that each age group can absorb. She covers everything from polite speech to party manners and makes no bones about the need for constant reminders. Her writing is spiced with wit and good sense, as well as a genuine affection for children. Highly recommended for public libraries. Susan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, Ohio Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Like any coping skill, manners need to be taught, and Wallace, who wrote a column on the subject for Child magazine, passes along to parents some useful suggestions for teaching them to children ages 3 to 12. Organized into age-appropriate categories, the book includes expected issues common to all ages--table and telephone manners, behavior toward grown-ups, and conversational etiquette--with basics presented for younger children and subtleties added for older ones. There are also special age-related topics--matters of personal hygiene and money are introduced for the 9 to 12 age group, "private behaviors" (nose picking, for example) for children ages 3 to 5, and manners at sleep overs for ages 6 to 9. Wallace is thorough and firm but not hidebound; she's also wise enough to advise parents not to expect perfection on every occasion. Stephanie Zvirin “[Wallace] translates the basic rules for children into simple terms, with easy pointers for parents. . . . Her writing is spiced with wit and good sense, as well as a genuine affection for children. Highly recommended.” ― Library Journal Carol McD. Wallace is the author of Elbows Off the Table, Napkin in the Lap, No Video Games During Dinner: The Modern Guide to Teaching Children Good Manners .