Using the Golden Rule as her guide, a Montecito woman is determined to raise the profile of polite company.

Many would agree that manners are not what they used to be. And even parents with the best intentions find it difficult to impart good manners to their children when their schedules preclude them from eating together.

Montecito resident Tara Stockton, for one, has observed a lack of courtesy firsthand.So she did something: The mother of three is a fifteen-year veteran of teaching civility, “since I have two teenagers and a small child,” and seven of those years include dynamic summer camps. The camps, for children 6 to 10, cover the basics of table manners, how to meet and greet and other practical etiquette.

Stockton bases much of her program on the Golden Rule. In her own words, “good manners often boil down to being sensitive, considerate and kind. If we learn basic respect, courtesy and consideration from a very young age, it becomes a way of life.”

Beyond raising children, Stockton is well-qualified to run camps on etiquette after her upbringing in Britain, Germany and Greece. She has lived in Santa Barbara for over two decades now, and is finding a balance between the formal courtesy of Europeans and the casual style of Americans.

Stockton’s Mind Your Manners camps will be held the weeks of Aug.11th and Aug.18th. More information is available by e-mailing or calling 280.9400.