Manners Never Go Out Of Style

Manners are the grease that makes the gears of society run smoother. Although it sounds old fashioned, manners make the world a nicer place in which to live - for all of us. In Atlanta, the epicenter of the South and great bastion of good manners, we have always been known for gentility and proper manners.
I am very fortunate to have chosen a career that allows me the opportunity to work with children. The honesty and joy that they offer is an amazing gift to those of us who have this opportunity of working with children for a living. I would like to partner with our parents by offering a few suggestions on how to make office visits with your children more pleasant for us all.
I think that all parents are looking for ways to improve their skills in dealing with the daily conflicts with their children. These are a few suggestions that might help parents encourage better behavior while at the doctor’s office:
Prepare your child before he comes to the doctor’s office. Tell him what you think will probably happen and what you expect from him.
Buy a doctor’s kit and role play with him.
If he has a painful procedure, take him to the park afterwards or let him choose something to do that he really enjoys.
Teach your child to make eye contact when spoken to and answer questions clearly.
Don’t allow your child to touch the computer or the medical equipment.
Let him know that it’s OK to play with electronic games while he is waiting, but when he is called upon to answer questions, he should immediately put them down.
Lastly, tell him that the doctors and the nurse practitioners are his friends and only want to keep him healthy and make him well.
Good manners may seem unimportant to children but they pay big dividends later on, in school, in the business world, and in life generally.

Good manners are cool!

by Barbara Cossman, RN, CPNP