“A Parenting Tip - Holiday Manners That Will HelpYour Kids Sparkle”
Free toddlers activity & child discipline guide christmas holiday

If you are like most moms and dads, you could use a parenting tip on how to improve the holiday manners of your children. Manners are important in any season, of course, but teaching our children to put their best foot forward during this activity-rich time of year would certainly lower most families' stress levels a notch or two.

Here are my top five "mind your manners" tips for helping children get the most out of this holiday season.

1. Practice all the time.

As you would expect, manners are a habit and as such cannot be simply paraded out of moth balls on cue. You are setting your kids and your parenting skills up for failure if you plan to arrive at a holiday gathering and expect your children to behave in ways they've never practiced. Most adults don't like that kind of surprise either!

2. Practice the specific.

If you are going to a holiday function where you know specific types of manners will be required from your children (like a formal table setting, for example), train at home first. Lay out a formal table, practice eating challenging foods, and show your kids how to make a formal introduction (don't forget training on how to shake hands).

3. Explain what's going on.

Manners are tough to learn if no one has explained the 'why'behind the 'what'. What I have taught my kids is this; mannersare simply a way to make others feel comfortable. When a personis looking out for the comfort of others, it's easy to rememberto chew with your mouth closed.

Of course, some manners have developed for more complicatedreasons. Still, a child who has been taught to be gracious willbe appreciated whether or not he has the details of fork usagedown pat.

4. Be culturally relevant.

Do you have cultural or religious traditions that you wouldlike to pass onto your children? Most parents do. For instance,holiday manners include knowing what to do when candles arepassed around at a church's Christmas Eve service. Don't waituntil your family is 'on the spot' to teach the meaning behindthe tradition. Your children will integrate far more if youexplain upfront "why we do what we do".

5. Be fair.

Here's my favorite parenting tip pertaining to holiday manners.Don't expect more from your kids than they are ready to give.The holidays are a wonderful season and are filled with anabundance of meaningful, reflective, and memorable activities.Plan your family's holiday excursions with an eye towardsage-appropriateness .

Asking a toddler to sit quietly through hours of adultfestivities or demanding a teenager give up all social contactwith her friends just because "it's the holidays" means you willhave very uncooperative children who definitely won't beinterested in "making others more comfortable" .

Manners can put people at ease and allow them to enjoy theirsocial situations relaxed and with far more pleasure. Certainlythis is true when children are placed in holiday spotlightsthey've never experienced before.

So use this holiday parenting tip to your advantage. With someupfront practice, a few honest explanations, and age-appropriateexpectations, your children can experience firsthand therichness of this holy time of year.

About The Author: Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting forover 26 years and helps other moms enjoy mothering more athttp://www.paintedg old.com. Visit her website and pick upanother parenting tip athttp://www.paintedg old.com/Kids/ parenting- tip.html

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“ A Parenting Tip - Create A Sane Holiday Season Now”
christmas holiday Free toddlers activity & child discipline guide

Could you benefit from a useful parenting tip with practicalapplications? Most parents can. As a mother and a business ownerwho has worked with hundreds of moms over the past few years, Ioften hear the same thing.

"This year, it will be different," these overwhelmed moms sighas the holiday season draws near. "I won't let my family do somany activities. It won't be such a blur! We're going to have asane holiday this year."

Starting to sound like a New Year's Resolution, isn't it? Greatidea...if only you could pull it off.

Well, this year you can.

I have been parenting for over 26 years. As a mom, I know howcrazy the end of the year has become for our whole culture. Notonly is there an abundance of activities for adults, but ourchildren have been pulled into the madness as well, with nearlyunlimited opportunities of their own. To top it off, most ofthese activities are good, even excellent.

Feeling a little overwhelmed just thinking about it? Me, too.

So here's a parenting tip with long term consequences: let'sget on top of this situation now, while the season is still infront of us and we actually have time to plan. Pull out acalendar and ask yourself how you really want your holidayseason to be this year.

For example...

-- do you enjoy having an activity every evening?

-- do you enjoy activities away from home or at home? Or a mix?

-- do you want your kids to primarily do activities with theirfriends or with their family? (I really hope you're choosingfamily!)

-- what traditions are most important to you? Baking cookies?Sending cards? Caroling? Helping in your community? Serving inyour house of worship?

-- do your children even understand *why* this time of year isso precious? Do they understand the religious and historicalbackgrounds of the holidays you celebrate?

So what's the bottom line here? Stop trying to do everythingand concentrate on one or two activities that are trulymeaningful to your family. YOU decide the important messages youwant to impress upon your children this holiday season. You canchoose from the long-established traditions to teach thosemessages or create brand new traditions that your family willlove embracing.

Making family memories is what will stay with your family, yearafter year. It's what your children will take with them intoadulthood. It is what they will form their own family traditionson.

They won't remember all the hectic activities. But they willremember things like this: that every year, on the weekend afterThanksgiving, we get the Christmas decorations out of storage,snuggle up with hot chocolate, and fondly reminisce over thehistory of each ornament. It's the story of our family,remembered and added to each year.

That's one of my children's favorite holiday traditions. Prettysimple, huh? But my grown sons speak fondly of this tradition soI know it has been important to them. And I continue it now withmy daughters.

Do you see what else is going on here? Besides the warmfuzzies, I am now much more aware of the powerful influence Ihave as my children's parent. And it makes it easier for me to*intentionally* use making memories to teach them what I believeis most important for them to know.

So what is my most excellent parenting tip for you this holidayseason? Stop going with the flow. Instead think, plan and createyour family's holiday memories this season. Be intentional withyour family's limited time (and energy), and encourage peace,laughter and thoughtfulness during this blessed and holy time ofthe year.

About The Author: Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting forover 26 years and helps other moms enjoy mothering more athttp://www.paintedg old.com. Visithttp://www.paintedg old.com/Kids/ parenting- tip.html to get theparenting tip you need today.

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