Parenting expert's trick to get children to say 'thank you' without pushing it

25 October 2023 , 15:12

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It doesn't have to be hard work (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It's no secret that being a parent can be stressful and hard work, especially when you are trying to raise your children with good manners. A dad and parenting expert has figured out the perfect way to get your child to say thank you, without being prompted with the age-old broken record statement, “Now what do you say?” to which the child reluctantly responds, “Thank you.”

Eran Katz who posted a video on his TikTok, has shared a video in which he explains how he manages to get children to say thank you without vocal prompts. "It’s the best parenting hack I know”, says Katz, “You never have to say, ‘What do you say?’ Ever again.”

“It works because saying ‘thank you’ becomes a really effective tool for them. You’ll bring something to your child, you’ll hand it over to them and you will hold onto it. The first time you do it, they’ll look up into your eyes, they’re looking for some clarification. That’s when you can tell them, ‘say thank you’, and at that point they say ‘thank you’ and you release the item.”

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The next time they ask for something, “It’s showtime”, he said. “You bring another item to them, you again hold onto it - and their immediate response would be, ‘thank you’. You don’t have to do it every time, but every so often hold onto an item and have them practice that skill of saying ‘thank you’.”

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Some parents criticised this method in the comments: “I just modelled gratitude and it worked. He learned gratitude, not a password to unlock items.” Said one parent. Another agreed: I can see how this is effective in getting them to say thank you, but it seems to shift focus on the point of thank.” Yet, another parent said this method was effective for their family: “I did this with my daughter, she’s four, and I haven’t had to tell her to say thank you for almost a year now. It worked really well for us.”

Valerie Browne