In his newly published Bringing Up Girls, Dr. James Dobson writes:
A girl who has been trained properly is never completely
knocked off balance when she is in an unfamiliar circumstance.
She knows what is expected of her and how to deal with it. Her sense of self
worth is reinforced by the way adults react to her charm, poise,
and grace. For the mother who wants to give her daughter a
head start in life and help her compete socially, this is a great place to begin.
I love the thought that if I train them well, my girls will not be knocked of balance when they are in an unfamiliar circumstance. Isn’t that a beautiful picture? What a gift to give my girls.
All good training, teaching social graces included, is a daily – (constant) endeavor. It requires direct training, setting a good example and sneaking in good object lessons as well. I am excited about a new book that I found recently that is going to the top of our read aloud books.
What I love about this book is that it uses stories from literature to illustrate manners. Remember, story is a pull strategy? I often say to my 4 year old, “Are you acting like The Beast, or a Beauty?” This instantly gives her a visual and gentle reminder from me to correct her behavior.
What about you? How do you teach social graces to your children? Today, the Homeschool Village is having a blog carnival and you can see how other parents are doing just that!
Looking Forward,
P.S. The MODsquad Blog is coming July 5! I am super excited to be part of this amazing blog for Mother’s of Daughters. Follow us on twitter @modsquadmoms or find us on Facebook so you don’t miss anything.
not a mom…obviously, but what a great idea!
Love me some object lessons! You're such a great mom – for the record … I'm definitely behaving like the beast lately! =)link up to the FB page – status going live at 8am. THANKS FRIEND!Stefps – 100 followers, you go girl.
Hi Stacy. Love the way it is explained…about training them well and they will not be knocked off balance. Social graces seem to be something that is not taught often anymore. The book you mentioned looks really good. I love what we read in "Little House on the Prairie". Laura was arguing and Ma told her to stop contradicting. I'll have to go back and find that part again. I guess that was the pull strategy I found.
LOve this and seeing how others are teaching! I just read Bringing Up Girls from library. Need to buy it for myself! :DHave a great day!Sherry
Thanks for suggesting this book! It sounds like it is an awesome book. I look forward to reading it.
Hi Stacey-Once again, great post 🙂 I just love what you write! Thanks for the suggestion for this book. It sounds like one I definitely will be reading soon. Meghan
I have been looking for a good book on manners! Thanks for sharing this!
Stacey, yes, truly…a beautiful image… equipping our children. How blessed your daughters are and will be! And I am delighted to discover this book! Children so identify with characters. To employ them in this way is outstanding! Thank you, Stacey.
Wow, I just blogged about the same book. Great minds think alike, LOL Love your blog!Angela
i'm SO loving dr. dobson's book!!! SO many nuggets of greatness!!