The environment of the home where the children are forming their character should be of the right kind. If good manners are taught and practised then to do the proper things will be spontaneous. Here we can see how parents can develop such good manners and courtesy in children for which children should know the importance of being polite quiet and so on.

Role of parents

Be example to the child. People enjoy being with a courteous person while they have a hard time to keep from disliking one who is rude. Yet the majority of parents are neglectful in teaching good manners. In some cases they even regard the teaching and practice of etiquette as cultivating a weakness or think that it is affectation. But if we wish to have an influence for good over people we must be polite. It is as important to be polite in dealing with children as with anyone else. Example has more weight than words. So be an ideal parent and be a right example to the child. It exercises a powerful influence on children.

Politeness

Politeness may be so embedded in the child that it will be the only natural course to follow. By percept and example cultivate it as a good habit. Parents have to behave politely and children follow as how their parents are. Parents must be what they wish their children to become. But they must do more-they must also give definite training. It is a case of percept and example going together.

Try not to irritate

Everyone wishes to be strong and to wield an influence for good. To accomplish this we must not do anything that to others is offensive. Righteousness is far more important in life than the rules of etiquette.
The child is not born polite. If he is to be polite he must be taught to be so. It is not at all necessary that he should be taught everything included in books on etiquette. Teach the most important things to the child first and let the rest be secondary.

As child grows

When child gets little older to read everything give books that will be of value to him. Help the child to become true person. If parents wish to associate with people of refinement they must be refined.

Learning to be quiet

We all know how refined people are at public places. They are really quiet in their speech. Wherever the children are let it be shop museum street or market they should be quiet. People decide what we are by the way we act in public places and by the clothing we wear and the way it is put on.
Boys so often go along the city streets dodging in and out and here and there shouting to people they know and sometimes to the people they do not know and at other times shouting just to make noise. Girls talk in loud tones and giggle as they go particularly those girls of age 12 to 18.They show the need that should have been met when they were very little girls. Some of them attract attention to themselves because they want it but others do it ignorantly and thoughtlessly.

Training a girl

A girl should be quiet dress modestly and go about in a businesslike way giving no attention whatever to any except to those to whom she has been introduced by those who have her welfare at heart and with whom she has definite acquaintance.
It would go without saying that no girl who has been properly trained and who has self respect will drink a drop of beer wine or liquor or make any use of cigarettes.

For a boy

What is wholesome for a girl is likewise wholesome for a boy. We should be clean and surely the liquor or tobacco user is not clean.

Action are to be well-timed

There are times to laugh and times to weep and it is very unfortunate if these become transposed. It is nothing short of cruelty to laugh at the misfortunes of others. Never laugh at the physical eccentricities of others. Make it your business to be on time wherever we go.

Thus grow your child to a good citizen.