Early in 2005 I spotted a niche in the market and decided to re-invent the traditional British finishing school and now in my guise as an ‛Etiquette Guru' I am often asked why it is that quite a number of people today seem to have no manners. Does it matter in this egalitarian 21st century? Well - I think it does.

Good manners really can help the world to be a nicer place; they are ageless, priceless and classless. Having good manners means treating other people with kindness, consideration and respect and they need to be taught to children when they are young. Unfortunately, we don't automatically grow up with good manners - I think human beings are naturally selfish and children will often look after number one! A lot is learned by example of course, and good role models are important.

It is no good asking your children to say please and thank you if you don't say it to them. I realised when my children were young that they were not using their ‛Ps & Qs' despite the fact that I was constantly asking them to do so. It was my mother who pointed out that I wasn't saying please or thankyou to them, or to their father. I had got so hooked up in the ‛rules' of manners that I wasn't practising what I was preaching!

Like anything else, teaching children manners takes time and energy and having been a working mother myself, I know how hard it is when you are dog tired after work to make sure your little darlings don't just snatch the drink you offer them or disappear from the table without asking to get down. It's all the more difficult if you haven't seen them all day - no parents want to be constantly correcting their children the minute they walk through the door. But - starting with the little things is crucial and it does pay dividends in later life. Social skills are really important if children are going to integrate well at school, being polite and having good manners means they will get on better with teachers and classmates alike.

Not that having good manners are a cure all, but I can't help remembering a survey that came out recently on graduates. It said that many British graduates are lacking in manners, selfish and with an over inflated idea of their own ability and some employers would rather leave situations vacant than employ people with such a mindset. It is a sad indictment on a generation that were brought up with out being taught the significance of good manners. Teaching your children the importance of manners will give them a head start because people buy from people and a bit of good old fashioned charm and politeness can go a long way!

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