Social Skills on a Small Scale

Getting young kids to behave like little dukes and duchesses would seem as impossible as flying a kite in a tornado. But that’s just what the Buttons and Bows Etiquette class tries to do.

The course, offered at the Edison Community Center in Huntington Beach, meets once a week for eight weeks. During this time, youngsters as small as toddlers and up to age 7 are taught everything from how to sit (watch the fidgeting!) with hands folded, to the right way to bow and curtsy.

That’s not all. Also covered is dancing, as well as manners needed for a six-course meal. From the shrimp cocktail appetizer to the ice cream cake, kids are given pointers on ways to keep the stuff in mouths and not on faces or laps.

De’ Arna Kilekas of Huntington Beach thought Buttons and Bows would be perfect for her daughter Mia, 2 1/2. “What interested me was it’s a social gathering where they learned to pay attention to each other, to be courteous,” says Kilekas. “I liked the idea that they dressed up and walked like little ladies and gentlemen. They learned how boys should treat girls and girls should treat boys.”

And how did Mia do?

“She has manners anyway, but she learned how to use them more,” her mom says. “And she learned sharing. She’s an only child, and sometimes they can be territorial. She learned how to get along with other children and to respect the teacher, Miss Dawna [Ludwig].”

Call (714) 960-8870 for more information.