Etiquette Matters! Start Your Year Off on the Right Foot


by Samantha Blossom The New Year is full of promise and opportunities. Help your child start


2011 on the right foot – with confidence. Teaching our children manners can be an overwhelming task for us…and for them. We all want our children to be confident, know the right thing to do in any situation, and to be kind and treat others with respect. into manageable chunks.


It is helpful to break down these formidable topics


The following principles are the foundation for good etiquette. • Be considerate of others, their space, their time, and their feelings.


• Say what you mean, and do what you say; in other words, be honest and true.


• Make others feel at ease. That is Etiquette 101. • Show respect for those around you and yourself. • Practice your pleases and thank you’s. • Strive for graciousness, and don’t forget to be flexible.


• Table your bad habits: keep your elbows off, don’t talk with your mouth full, put your napkin in your lap!


• Kindness is contagious so make sure to spread some around. Good manners will take you everywhere, so don’t go anywhere without


them. Like so many skills, social graces are not something our children are born knowing. Instead, it is up to us to teach them. We support their development with tutoring, sports lessons, dance classes and more, helping them to experience life and achieve their potential. Often with our hectic schedules, etiquette and manners are


overlooked until they are obviously absent. Good manners and respect are increasingly valuable precisely because they are increasingly rare. Etiquette classes offer an opportunity to learn and practice social skills with peers in a fun, interactive setting. Poise and confidence gained now will stay with children for the rest of their lives.


Samantha Blossom, of Etiquette North Dallas. A little about Samantha Blossom: Knowing the correct thing to do in any situation gives you the confidence to step up and step out. Etiquette specialist Samantha Blossom appreciates the value of good manners in social and business settings. A long time Dallas area resident, Samantha draws on more than a decade of experience as a fine dining event planner, coordinating both small, intimate celebrations and large corporate events. Samantha currently resides in Allen, TX with her husband and two (mostly well-mannered) daughters. 214.287.0313. sblossom@etiquettenorthdallas.com. www.etiquettenorthdallas.com.


Join us for our annual Birthday Celebration as the Museum turns 108!


Kick off the evening with an African drum parade, and then enjoy artist talks, films, the nuclear polka sounds of Brave Combo, family experiences, and more!


Kids under 12 get in FREE! DallasMuseumofArt.org


Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art is supported by the Donor Circle membership program through leadership gifts of Mr. and Mrs. William T. Solomon and the Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation.


Promotional support provided by CBS Radio: JACK-FM and KLUV 98.7, Dallas Observer, KXT 91.7, and Radio Disney.


The Dallas Museum of Art is supported in part by the generosity of Museum members and donors and by the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas/Office of Cultural Affairs and the Texas Commission on the Arts.


Friday, January 21 6:00 p.m.–midnight


1717 North Harwood St Dallas TX 75201 214 922 1200


North Texas Kids • January 2011 • www.NorthTexasKids.com


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