Accepting compliments

I'm not gonna lie...my kids are gorgeous. My boys have amazing eyelashes and smiles and my daughter has eyes and lips supermodels would be jealous of!
So they get complimented quite a bit and I don't expect them to say thank you to every "how cute!" they get because a lot of can be general and based on their behavior lol! But...how do I get them to say thank you without my prodding when they say something specific, ie "what a pretty dress!" Ect.

Also on same topic...giving compliments. Hannah esp being a girl notices clothes and will say things like "oooo look at that dress! Or I like that dress!" But when I tell her to tell the other little girl she likes it, she won't.

*sigh* I know little things but they really big me! Lol

 

I like to model the behavior I want them to do. So, if someone compliments my child and they don't offer a thank you, I simply do, in their place. Ditto on offering a compliment. We've also discussed with the girls how it feels to receive compliments and why it's thoughtful to offer compliments.

 

I answer for the boys.  Both of my boys are definitely not outgoing and will actually hide when someone speaks to them.  They hate it.  Plus we are working on tricky people/strangers and what to do etc. so they get a bit confused when strangers speak to them and if I talk to them they ask why I can talk to a stranger so its really confusing for a small child.  Now with cashiers, wait staff we practice please, thank you, ordering for ourselves etc.  We also work on who to talk to if lost. 
 
Personally I just don't say things to kids I do not know right now because to be honest I don't particularly like strange people talking to the boys not me even when I am there with them.  I have actually told people who get aggressive about trying to get them to talk that we are currently working on stranger danger and they are a stranger.  And yes I am overprotective but with good personal reasons.

 

My kids are pretty good at saying thanks at this point, actually, but that is because from a young age, I have always modeled saying thanks myself, and from the time they could talk semi-well, I would say "What do you say to ______ for _______?", prompting them to say thanks.  I don't usually have them say thanks when someone says "oh, they are so cute!" or something like that.  I usually respond with something like "we sure think so" or I say thanks myself.

 

I do what Rachel does. I don't force them to say things to people, but talk to them about why people compliment and how to deal with it. They are getting it; they have started testing the waters by complimenting me, and the other day Ozzy said to his friend:
 
"Francesca, your feet look really nice". :lol:

 

I forgot about this. Thanks! I do answer for them by saying "say thank you" but I just leave it at that. Hannah throws random compliments out to me which is sweet I just don't see them saying it to other children. I'll have to beef up the talk on how good it makes others feel