The Front Porch: A Free Manners Newsletter
A short note every couple of weeks. One value, talked through plain. No lectures — just one idea you can use that week.
What You Will Find Inside
- One value per issue — respect, honesty, kindness, gratitude — talked through plain and simple
- A real-life moment — a scene you will recognize from your own kitchen table or car ride home
- One small thing to try this week — not a lecture, not a program, just something that works
- Word of the day — a way to start a conversation with your child at dinner tonight
- A recommendation — a book, a toolkit, or a quiet idea worth passing along
Want something practical today? Browse our free manners resources.
Written by Vernon DeFlanders — father, grandfather, veteran, and author of Teaching Kids Good Manners the Old-School Way.
How a Free Manners Newsletter Helps at Home
A free manners newsletter works best when it gives you one useful idea at a time. The Front Porch is designed to help adults turn everyday moments—interrupting, greetings, table talk, gratitude, screen habits, and respect—into short conversations children can understand and practice.
- Start with one habit. Use the daily manners guide when you want a simple practice plan.
- Match the lesson to the child. Our parent guidance offers practical ways to teach without turning every correction into a lecture.
- Make practice conversational. Try the manners quiz to talk through real-life choices together.
You do not need a perfect system. Pick one idea from an issue, practice it for a few days, notice what improves, and build from there. Small repetitions are easier for children to remember—and easier for adults to keep consistent.
Pull Up a Chair
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