Manners, Please: 6 Phrases We Use on Kids That Should Be Used on Some Adults by Mike Prochaska

Someone asked yesterday how I could work with children. Honestly, I think working with children is a lot easier than having to work with adults. I give my wife props for dealing with adults every day because I think I would go crazy. Here are some phrases we can use when working with children that I wish I could use while working at the Target Cafe on adults:

• Use your words. Every day at least one person comes to order food and they don't talk. They just point at something, and after I ask them if that is what they want they shake their heads yes. It reminds me of the babies pointing at the food on the counter when they are hungry. At least the babies say “yes” and “no.” If kids can do it why can’t adults?
• Please say, "please" and "thank you." You get more with kindness than rudeness. I think it’s important to say “please” and “thank you.” I’ll admit I have a hard time getting my children to say please, but they both say thank you. How often do we remind our children to say please and thank you, yet people don’t do it themselves. Need to lead by example.
• Please clean up your mess. I used to think my children were messy until I started picking up after adults.
• It’s cleanup time. Time to clean up your mess. Yes, after children make a mess we can teach them the cleanup song and have them cleanup their own messes. I wish I could do that with some adults who leave a huge mess for me to cleanup.
• You get what you get and don’t throw a fit. I can’t change the food. I can’t make special orders. The food we have is the food we have. Everything is premade – I can’t make you something special.
• Go sit on the corner and relax until you’re ready to use your words! Wish I could say this to guests who get upset about silly things.

Just don’t be rude and I will try to help you out the best I can. I think working with children is much easier than working with adults. What do you think?