Teaching manners to young children can be fun. Role playing is a practical and effective way to accomplish this. Playing house, tea parties, and phone conversations to practice please and thank-you's was much more enjoyable than mere etiquette rules. I know my girls especially enjoyed the playtime.


Christopher had to learn additional things that my girls didn't, like opening doors. Manly things. Have you ever witnessed a little boy performing grown-up chores? His chest puffs out, He walks a little taller, and he takes on a new air of confidence. He is transformed into a man-child. My son was no different.

I was hesitant to give him the honor of opening the car door. I've seen too many fingers slammed between the two pieces of metal. At age 7, Christopher was a perfect gentleman. We'd be rushing out the door on a Sunday morning. I'd get the baby strapped into her car seat, make sure each one had her bible, offerings and such. Then I'd hurry around to my side of the car.

"Wait! Wait!" Christopher would run past me. My door would open. He'd stand their and hold it until I was securely inside. He'd shut my door. Grinning, he walked nicely back around to the other side of the big blue van-reopening the door I'd just shut and climb inside. At times I wanted to turn and say, "let's skip it today, I'm in a hurry." But one look into his big brown eyes, and there was no way. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

On snowy, cold mornings, I'd tell Christopher how nice it would be when he was old enough to drive. He'd be able to drop his sisters and I off at the door of the church, then go park the car like the rest of the gentlemen. Sure enough, as soon as he was the proud owner of a Colorado Driver's License, my teenage son would automatically pull up to the curb closest to the church's front door. After parking the car, he could be seen hurring along the sidewalk with the other men who'd done the same. I was so proud to see him walking as one of the men.