As a parent, your child will be your greatest legacy to our world.  So, what is your formula for being a successful parent to your son or daughter?  How your children act toward others is a reflection of you. Are you being attentive in educating your children about the importance of civility in today’s world?  
How are you guiding your children today, so they will contribute to our world tomorrow?
By teaching proper manners to your children, you are taking part in your contribution to making the world a better place… one child at a time.  This process starts at an early age.  Even as a toddler, it is important that your son or daughter understands the reciprocal of good behavior… what you give is what you get.
Therefore, your perception on teaching manners to your children and the importance of manners themselves is probably not actually what you think.  It is more than just teaching your child to say please and showing them how to correctly set the table.  
The unconscious lesson is more global.  
You are playing a much bigger role, as part of a much bigger plan, in understanding that you are passing these traditions as a means to carrying on and carrying out your legacy… and civilization.  
What are some of the lessons you should instill in your child?  I encourage you to teach them the significance of saying please, how to write thank you notes, the proper way to dine, the importance of telephone manners and how to respectfully speak to adults.
So all of the sudden, it is not just what is going on around your kitchen table or under your roof. These lessons have much greater magnitude!  
When we teach our children how to behave, we are not teaching actions, we are teaching attitudes – the attitude of respect, of humility and of gratitude… not what to do, but rather how to be.
By emphasizing manners on a daily basis, you will ensure your child has the skills, experience and attitude to grow into a self-respected teenager and a self-respected adult who is courteous, considerate, gracious… and by being so, understands the foundation for success.
What greater legacy can you leave the world?
 
Cynthia R. Grosso is a corporate etiquette expert.  She has been a speaker, teacher and consultant in this arena for more than 15 years.  She is the founder of the Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette.  She is the author of “Your Manners Matter” National Homeschool Program, an 18 lesson curriculum for homeschool parents.  You may contact her at cgrosso@charlestonschoolofprotocol.com