My wife and I always explain to my 7 year old twins that around the house its fine to be a little obnoxious and act like kids. But it is drilled into their heads that there are certain times that you have to show respect and simply be quiet and stand still.
My latest story comes from attending a memorial service for my wife's grandmother. My kids were very good and stood right next to us the whole service while at the cemetary. (A gentle nudge once or twice was needed to stop minimal fidgeting.) Meanwhile, my wife's cousin's kids (same age) where running around the cemetary like it was a playground. No attempt at all to control them and make them show some respect for their departed great grandmother. It was sad and sickening. I made sure to tell my kids afterward that I was very proud of them for being respectful and for not acknowleding their cousin when he kept prodding my kids to join him.
Not surprisingly, my wife's cousins are a bunch of liberals who believe that their kids are brilliant and that kids need to express themselves creatively all the time and not be reigned in by strict discipline.
>>I made sure to tell my kids afterward that I was very proud of them for being respectful and for not acknowleding their cousin when he kept prodding my kids to join him.<<
Great Point!!!
I make sure I tell my children how unruly other children are in front of those parents.
One of my biggest bug-a-boos is people who eat produce at the grocery store. To me it is stealing. One day a Grandpa was with his 6 year old granddaughter by us. The two of them were happily muching away green grapes. My six year old asked for grapes as well. I said that we could have some at home. She said that the others were eating them.
I announced that it was stealing to eat what we had not paid for.
Grandpa turned red and walked away.