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Cutting rudeness off at the knees.

I heard somewhere that  you teach people how to treat you. So if you let your kids treat our like their own personal doormat, you're saying, "Go on. Be rude to me." And the older they get, the harder it is to take away their doormat.

Here are three tips for thwarting your kids' rudeness:

Be shocked. Just because you've heard their friends treat their parents rudely, doesn't mean you shouldn't be shocked when they do it to you. Show them it isn't how you expect to be treated, and it won't become part of their language.

Just say no. Everytime they treat you rudely, tell them you won't accept it. Make them apologize and change their behavior. If they don't, take something away that means something to them, such as computer access or a night out with a friend.

Monkey see... don't be a monkey. Kids do what they see. And if you're rude to other people, they'll learn it from you. Don't assume that you get carte blanche to behave rudely because you're a grown-up. You don't. And your kids don't either.

Jen Singer, Disney Parenting Team Advisor

Creator, MommaSaid.net