Growing with Grace

Everyday etiquette for children and teenagers

- MALIA JACOBSON

In her book “How to Be,” Harriette Cole writes that etiquette exists to provide a framework for honorable living. Kids are more interested in learning about this framework than their parents think, says Linda Booth, instructor at Promenade of Charlotte, a non-profit organization that offers etiquette and life skills instruction for middle-school and high-school students. Interested in raising kinder, more civil humans from toddlerhood through the teen years? Read on.

EARLY YEARS // 01-5

Solid Goals

Teaching children about etiquette means helping them learn why kindness matters and develop an awareness of others and their feelings. “Etiquette is really nothing more than kindness, civility, and respect,” Booth says. Because many parents already aim to teach these concepts to their toddlers and preschoolers, instilling etiquette in young children is easier than you might think.