Did your children remember to bring their manners to the Thanksgiving dinner table? If they need a little extra “polish” before the next family gathering, it might be a good idea to sign them up for an etiquette class where they’ll hone their manners and learn new skills to make you proud at the table and beyond!

The next Mimi’s Manners class will be held Thursday, December 1 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota from 6 – 8 p.m. in the restaurant’s private dining room. Children ages 6 – 12 are invited to attend the two-hour class where they’ll learn their “Ps and Qs” of dining, handshakes & introductions and other important skills in manners. The cost of the class is $80 per child and includes a delicious three-course meal prepared by the Ritz-Carlton Chef.  Children will receive a workbook, certificate of completion and with a set of good manners to help them be the best-behaved kids at any holiday function. For more information and reservations, please call 941-309-2008 or send me message at suzanne@suzannewillis.com.

One of the parents interviewed by a journalist before a recent Mimi’s Manners class said that she was concerned that proper etiquette skills were becoming extinct, especially among children. That was why she had signed up her three children for my class. (View the complete story from the Florida Times Union here.)

I created Mimi’s Manners more than ten years ago to help children learn important manners and basic communication skills that I believe are imperative for their future success, both personally and professionally.  I don’t want manners to become extinct and it’s my goal to share Mimi’s Manners with as many children as possible.

If you have ideas about skills that children should learn or ways that I can help share manners with more children, please let me know. Together, we’ll be able to reach those who need the training and we’ll keep manners alive!

Travel writer Paul Kandarian recently posted a very nice story about Mimi’s Manners in the Boston Globe. I had the pleasure of meeting Paul during his visit to Sarasota. He was a hoot and even though he claims he has terrible manners, I found him to be quite the gentlemen.

The topic of manners did come up during a group breakfast and I quickly found myself giving an impromptu lesson in manners to those at the table. Mostly it was a discussion of manners. Over the years, I’ve found that many people like to talk about manners, (especially the lack of manners) in today’s society. It seems that everyone has a “worst etiquette” story they like to share or a question they have about a particular manner. We enjoyed a lively discussion that morning and this article was a result of our conversation and his visit to my website for Mimi’s Manners.

The story can be read here:  Teaching Children Manners, Mimi’s Way  Enjoy! 

And a big thank you to Paul for the article. Mimi would love it as much as I do!