ARIANNA Lee may be considered a pre-schooler, but at just four years old, she has been sent for a manners and a dining-etiquette course by her parents.

Her father Bernard Lee, 38, told my paper: "She's quite an active kid at home and it's hard to pin her down to teach her something."

The father of three faces a conundrum many dual-income families are only too familiar with: Too little time, too much to teach. Mr Lee, a businessman, is one of the increasing number of parents here who are sending their young children to manners, etiquette and deportment classes.

Image consultants who offer these courses told my paper that their classes are packed these days. They have also received more enquiries from interested parents.

Arianna's etiquette trainer, Ms Sherrine Teoh, 30, who taught more than 100 kids this past September school holidays, observed that more dual-income parents prefer that a professional teach their children manners and social graces.

"They are already not spending enough time with their children as it is," she said. "They don't want to be hard on them in the little time that they share."

But for part-time telemarketer Veronica Lawson, 41, who sent nine-year-old Tania to a Basic Manners workshop, she was actually at a loss on how to deal with the latter's tantrums. "I wanted her to learn patience," Ms Lawson said. "Sometimes, I don't know what to do with her."

But educational psychologist Dr Lisa Pittman, 33, said it is important for a parent to be fully involved in teaching a young child the right behaviour.

"It is easier to implement discipline in real-life settings, compared to the child learning this skill in an unfamiliar setting like a classroom.

"Daily lessons facilitate the child's ability to recognise what to expect in real life," she said.

Etiquette and image consultant Teo Ser Lee, 43, agreed: "At the end of my classes, I give the parents a huge stack of notes so that they can continue the child's learning at home. Two hours with me isn't enough."

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