How Important Are Good Manners for Your Boys?
You already know the answer. "Very."
Manners are of more importance than laws. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in. - Edmund Burke
Parents are usually more careful to bestow knowledge on their children rather than virtue, the art of speaking well rather than doing well; but their manners should be of the greatest concern. - R. Buckminster Fuller
Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use. - Emily Post
Good old Emily Post was right. It doesn't really matter what fork your Boys use... The essence of Good Manners runs much deeper than that. A Boy's manners are reflected in how they interact with those around them - family members, their friends, other adults. The kind of manners your Boys display toward others tell more about their character than any words can say.
In days gone by, Good Manners used to be considered important -- even essential. But somehow over the past couple of generations, our society has shifted from "caring for others" to "pleasing ourselves". Academic achievement (learning facts and knowledge) has become much more important than learning to show civility and respect to those around us.
We live in a day and age where manners are NOT highly valued -- and bad manners are actively promoted. Plain old common courtesy is at an all-time low. If ever there was a time that instilling good manners into our Boys was difficult, it is now. In fact, this can be one of the toughest jobs a parent has to face.
But isn't there an easy, "1-2-3 method" of teaching your boys to have good manners? Sorry... there is no such critter.
Unfortunately, there is no "instant fix" for manners. Teaching "good manners" to your Boys cannot be done by simply watching a DVD, or listening to some catchy songs, or by doing a "unit study", or even a nightly bedtime reading from "Miss Manners' Rules of Etiquette" (yeesh!). Instead, instilling good manners into your Boys is an ongoing, day-in and day-out journey that does not end until they are all grown up and out the door. Truly, the goal is worth it... and the benefits are tremendous. But it takes persistence... commitment... patience... and a game plan.
What we have here are the tools you need to help you map out that plan for your household. This resource package will help guide you in your ongoing quest to instill better manners into your Boys... and at the same time help them understand the true reasons why "good manners" are so vitally important, right now and for their future.
Here's what is included in this packed "toolbox" of resources you can put to use in YOUR household right away:
Ebook #1:
100 Important Things Your Boys Need to Know:
A Homeschooler's Guide to Boys and Manners
Boys with good manners are the kind of people that you want to be around. They are able to demonstrate respect, and are themselves respected. Boys who use good manners, who can comfortably carry on a conservation, and know how to act appropriately with people of different ages and backgrounds are more likely to achieve than those who can’t. By teaching our boys good manners, we are giving them skills they can use in every aspect of their lives. This ebook contains some very practical advice on how to "teach" good manners to your boys day in and day out. Included are a full hundred important examples of good manners at home, in public, with friends, and rules of conduct that every Boy should be aware of and try to live by.Ebook #2:
Teaching Boys Manners: Homeschool Parents Share Their Best Tips and Strategies
We asked over 350 homeschooling families: “What advice would you give to other families who are trying to instill some better manners into their Boys? What has worked for you? What tips and techniques actually help these things “stick”? The common themes they shared came through loud and clear. There are specific ways to instill manners in Boys... and they don't always come easy and they never come quick... but these tried-and-true tips and strategies will help you map out a plan for your own household.Ebook #3:
The Rules of the House: Homeschool Parents Share Their Most Important Household Manners
Again we asked over 350 homeschooling parents: “If you decided to post the most important rules of your household on your refrigerator door right at eye level so your boys would see it every day (and so you could direct their attention to it often) -- what would you put there?" Here are their suggestions – real, nitty-gritty "house rules" from boy-filled households (from the practical to the hysterically funny) that will help you know what you should expect from your boys, and will let you develop your own "house rules".Ebook #4:
What the Bible Has to Say About Manners: A Study Guide
Does God think manners are important? Do our manners affect our relationships with others? Do our manners reveal anything about our character? Do our manners affect how others view us? What kind of manners are important anyway? Is there something bigger and more important about manners that we need to be aware of? This study guide will help you lead your Boys into a deeper understanding of the true importance and meaning of "good manners".Ebook #5:
George Washington's Maxims of Civility
These 110 rules of good behavior were copied into a copybook by George Washington when he was a 12 year old schoolboy. This is a quaint, funny, and fascinating look at manners in centuries gone by... with some rewarding insights that can even be applied to our Boys' lives even today.Ebook #6:
Civility Costs You Nothing: Great Quotes on Manners
Many writers, observers and philosophers have written about the value of good manners throughout the ages. Their comments contain much insight, humor and wisdom, and have application for our Boys even today. This unique compilation of great quotations can be used for penmanship practice, memorization., or to print out and stick some choice quotes on your refrigerator door!Ebook #7:
Truly Terrible Tales of Truly Terrible Boys
With Truly Terrible Manners
Just for fun, we're including this one because we know Boys love wild and crazy stuff, and this is about as nutty as they come. We can guarantee your Boys will be enthralled with this book (if you decide to allow them to see it -- it's your call!) This amazing full color children's picture book from the 1800's, "Struwwelpeter" by Heinrich Hoffman, has the subtitle "Merry Stories and Funny Pictures". But what it really features are hilarious, awful stories of bad boys with horrible manners, who get their comeuppance in terrible ways because of it. It is, as we like to call it,"bad manners on steroids in the Twilight Zone." Warning: This picture book may be too much for some Moms to take, but our red-blooded Boys were fascinated by this crazy picture book when they were little. It is a great little read-aloud book especially for DAD to share with the Boys.Ebook #8:
Our Favorite Links to Online "Boys and Manners" Resources
Finally, we've compiled a great selection of highly recommended links to some wonderful FREE online resources that will supplement our own package. Here you'll find great thought-provoking articles... over an hour of online videos featuring classic "manners" films from the 1940s and 1950s... plus many games and activities you can use in your own home to reinforce your emphasis on good manners. There is something here for the youngest children to your teenagers.Update! We've just added even more helpful resources to this helpful package:
Ebook #9:
Manners Matter: A Biblical Perspective by Melissa Nuckols
Here's a downloadable PDF version of Melissa Nuckols' great article from the Creation Science Academy website on the Biblical origins of good manners, how our perceptions of manners have changed over the past generation, and what our response should be. Great, thought-provoking reading with practical applications for our Boys.Ebook #10:
"More Goops And How NOT To Be Them! "
If our "Truly Terrible Tales" ebook above is too much for your little ones (or Mom), introduce them to the classic "Goops" characters created by Gelett Burgess in the early 1900s. "Goops" are little cartoon creatures with awful manners, who serve as a role model for children about what NOT to do when around others. This was THE classic "manners" picture book series your great grandparents read and loved when they were small fry. These fanciful poems and delightful illustrations (suitable for printing out and coloring) are a delight to share with your little ones, and really DO make quite an impression! "Goops" can easily become your household "code word" for reminding your Boys to mind their manners!Resource #11:
The AUDIOBOOK version of
"More Goops And How NOT To Be Them!"
Here's a great audio reading of the classic poems and morals from the Gelett Burgess "Goops" book above... perfect fare for rainy day or bedtime listening! Your Boys (and girls too) will LONG remember the Goops! MP3 format, 25 minutesResource #12:
Boys & Manners "Teaching Cheat Sheet"
Finally, we've included a terrific summarization of the topics and concepts that MUST be dealt with if you want to effectively teach your Boys better manners, including sections on what Mom must know, what Dad must know, what your Boys must understand, and an "action plan" of effective teaching techniques. You'll refer to this excellent "cheat sheet" again and again!
There you have it... a total of
EIGHTTWELVE helpful tools in one resource collection to help you with one of the toughest parenting jobs of all... instilling good manners into your boys. Yes, it is Tough with a capital "T"... but the goal is attainable... the benefits are tremendous... and your Boys are worth it!100 IMPORTANT THINGS YOUR BOYS NEED TO KNOW:
A Homeschooler's Guide to Boys & Manners
Instant Download of all 11 ebooks & 1 audio file
Only: $14.95
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