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Parenting

01st Nov 2023

Parenting expert explains how to instil ‘thank you’ rule without having to push it in public

Sophie Collins

Thank you

“You never have to say, ‘What do you say?’ Ever again”

Trying to ensure that you raise good, kind children with manners is always the goal as a parent, and instilling certain values in them when they’re young is the key to success.

We’ve all been in a scenario where someone has done something nice, or has handed a child a lovely gift and they forget to say the magic words; thank you.

Well, one dad and parenting expert has come to the rescue and explained his fool-proof way of ensuring that never happens again.

He said that he has taught his little ones to say ‘thank you’ without being prompted with the age-old; “now what do you say?” to which the child responds, “thank you.”

Eran Katz who posts on TikTok under the handle, ApparentlyParenting, shared a video explaining how he manages to get children to say thank you without asking.

“It’s the best parenting hack I know”, says Katz, “You never have to say, ‘What do you say?’ Ever again.”

He went on to say: “It works because saying ‘thank you’ becomes a really effective tool for them.

“You’ll bring something to your child, you’ll hand it over to them and you will hold onto it. The first time you do it, they’ll look up into your eyes, they’re looking for some clarification.

“That’s when you can tell them, ‘say thank you’, and at that point they say ‘thank you’ and you release the item.”

After doing this one time, they will remember the rules so, the next time they ask for something, “It’s showtime”, he said.

“You bring another item to them, you again hold onto it – and their immediate response would be, ‘thank you’.

“You don’t have to do it every time, but every so often hold onto an item and have them practice that skill of saying ‘thank you’.”

Have you tried this method with your kids? Did it work?

Let us know in the comments on Facebook and Instagram.

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