My good friend, Rosalinda Randall, is an etiquette expert. She recently conducted an informal survey asking pre-teens what they considered to be rude behavior, by adults.
From my perspective, too often parents look down on children as not knowing and not wise. I find that children are very aware of what they like and don’t like; of what feels good to them and what doesn’t.
I encourage parents to listen to their kids. If your kids are complaining about your behavior, such as yelling at them which is disrespectful, don’t brush it off. Listen and learn and consider changing.
Here are the results from Rosalinda’s survey with pre-teens:
1. Making out in front of me. (giggle-giggle)
2. Don’t let me speak my mind.
3. They lie to their boss.
4. Not apologizing.
5. Being snarky.
6. Swearing.
7. Smoking.
8. They make me say, “please” and “thank you”, but they never do.
9. Not being polite while driving.
10. Taking other people’s ideas. (Yikes!)
11. Arguing.
12. Saying, “Oh, you’re just a kid, you can’t understand this.”
13. They talk too much at the dinner table and ignore me.
14. Seat me at the “kids table.”
15. Insulting each other behind their backs, to other people.
16. They boss their kids around.
17. Making slurping sounds when they have their coffee.
If you have any comments or questions, please send them to Rosalinda.
Rosalinda also has a great etiquette book called Don’t Burp in the Boardroom that you can buy. Go here to purchase it.
Rosalinda Randall
Etiquette and Civility Consultant, Author
E:
T: 650.871.6200
www.rosalindarandall.com
Post offered by Cynthia Klein, The Family Peacemaker, bridges2understanding.com, 650.679.8138, .
Copyright © 2026, Cynthia Klein, All rights reserved. Please contact Cynthia to use any of her blog post.
About Cynthia Klein
Cynthia Klein’s mission is to contribute to World Peace and building healthy family relationships is the place to begin. As a parenting expert for over 30 years, parents have learned from Cynthia how to communicate more effectively as an ally rather than an adversary. Her unique Family Harmony System teaches parents of 5 and older how to have open dialogue, solve problems together, support one another, and build mutual respect. Cynthia is the author of Ally Parenting and the video-based self-paced program Win, Win, Win, Parenting. She has presented over 700 talks and coached hundreds of parents privately towards greater family connection and harmony. To learn more about her services of coaching and speaking, contact Cynthia Klein at , visit her website at bridges2understanding.com.
