Backpack… check!
Sharpened pencils… check!
New shoes… check!
Manners… ch…
Wait… what?!
We often go above and beyond equipping our kids with all the material goods for a new school year. But what about in the manners department? Are our kids well-equipped with those?
We don’t need to start listing the behavior and social graces seemingly absent in kids these days. You could probably string off a long list yourself.
What, though, would teachers think, if you sent your kids back to school with a whole new level of refinement?!
Our nation’s first president, George Washington, learned a long list of rules of civility (110 to be precise) when he was a youngster. He made it a point to incorporate them into every aspect of his life.
Consequently, he had a stalwart reputation of being a complete gentleman. He didn’t talk back to authority. He warmly welcomed the “new kid” to the room and he even crossed his legs just right when he sat down.
These days, in an era of instant-everything, it seems manners often go by the wayside. But, what if our kids tried out some of the manners President Washington lived by?
All 110 of those rules are now in a book called George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. They’re written in old English, and not all are applicable to modern times. But many–like covering your mouth when you sneeze or yawn and not picking your nose–are timeless.
They’re simple social graces that might help our kids outshine their peers in the classroom this Fall. All thanks to George Washington!
Here are our top dozen favorites, with a modern-day translation, to help get the refinement process started.
