[...] there is a school in the UK that teaches basic social skills to children as young as three, here that task generally falls to parents. Who, based on my own [...]

Parents need to teaching children manners. Unfortunately, many of them model the same rude behavior as their children. How is a child supposed to know not to badger someone when he has to say “MOM!” 400 times to get her to stop texting. I wish I were making that up, but I see it everyday at the playground. I am continually stunned by the children who come to my house and open my refrigerator looking for something to eat or who wander around my house, leaving my own child behind. What’s strange about it, is it’s not hard to teach a child manners. I’ve never held a “class” on the topic and yet people always tell me how extremely polite my kids are. Why? Well, I think it’s because we use manners all the time. My husband and I have always said “please” and “thank you,” open doors for others, wait until everyone is served at the table before we eat, and we do not tolerate phones, iPods and other devices at the table or at other family gatherings. I have told my children to always eat what they are served at someone else’s house and if you must ask for something to drink, always ask for water (not the soda you may have spotted in the fridge!). As with everything else, I suppose a school should give kids an idea as to what manners are and perhaps should invite parents to attend the class. Unfortunately, the same people that complain about government being involved in everything, clearly need the government to raise decent human beings.

I don’t think that schools necessarily should have classes on etiquette, but should enforce it. However, how can schools enforce acceptable behaviors when parents fight schools on practically every little thing now (in honor of their child’s independence?). Double edged sword.

I think it’s a great idea, but I get where it would rub some people the wrong way.

I absolutely agree that manners in general have declined. I have friends in their 20s who say “thank you” less than my four-year-old! In a school setting, age appropriate workshops could be helpful for kids to learn formal and correspondence etiquette. Parents should work on everyday manners with their kids, expecting please and thank you’s and proper table manners to be used.