My uncle said to me as a child while we sat on the front porch,
"Girl, don't you have manners?
When you wear a dress, you never have yo legs open, you cross yo legs. Didn't yo mama teach you how to sit like a lady?" I shooked my head and said, "no."
My uncle sat there and glared at me. "That's unladylike. Always cross your legs. I'm shocked that yo mama never taught you that, she should start teaching you how to act and walk like a lady."
As I went on the outside of my grandmother's house. I was playing in the backyard by myself, and I saw a middle-aged man that had walked by.
"Hello," I said waving at the man. "What's up shorty," he said. I just smiled at the man and said, " what kind of pop is that in yo hand?"
"It's a 7Up, you want it?" He said.
"Yeah," I said while he handed me the unopened can.
I ran inside the house and showed the soda to my grandmother. "Look, look what I got grandma."
She had a straight face with me. "Now where did you get that from?"
"A man outside gave it to me," I said.
She had raised her voice.
"GIRL? WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT TAKING STUFF FROM PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW? HE COULD OF PUT SOMETHING IN HERE?"
I was frightened by her loud voice. "Can I still drink it?"
"Gone had and drink it girl, just don't be taking nothing from nobody else," she said.
There came a time when I was over my father's girlfriend's house.
I had barged into her refrigerator.
"Aye, what are you doing? You don't come into folks houses and start going in they refrigerators, have some respect," she said.
"Sorry, " I said.
"Teach yo daughter some manners."
My father did not say anything. He just shooked his head.
Teaching our children to have manners, obedience and to never talk to strangers is an essential thing. My mother and father did not teach me how to have manners. I was taught how to have manners from other people and that is not good. As parents, we have to start teaching our children how to have manners while they are real young as a toddler or even a little before they become toddlers. I have A 1-year-old girl, and she likes to have her way sometimes. When she does, I know how to discipline her. We can not let our children have their way because if they do, they will embarrass us out in public if we do not discipline them.
#discipline #manners #children #kids #play #outside
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