Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners.

In a study published this week, researchers from Child Development Institute revealed that children, at a very young age, mimic behaviors from their parents, often adopting not just the good ones, but also the bad. The institute conducted a survey of 1,000 families across five different countries and found that regardless of any efforts to portray a certain etiquette or maintain perfect behavior, the children were found to follow the parents almost instinctively.

As Dr. Anna Green, the lead researcher for the study, puts it: "Mimicry is a completely natural process in children. They learn by observing and replicating behavior, which occurs dramatically with parents, who form a child’s primary model of behavior."

The study was launched to better understand the dynamics between parents and their children and to analyze if the influence of parents on a child's development can be positive or negative. The institute aimed to research the potential for improvement in educating children through observing parental behavior and steering it towards developing sound mindsets.

Numerous cases were cited in the study where mothers were trying to teach their little kids to use a table etiquette, saying "please" and "thank you", and engaging in conversation by asking open-ended questions. Yet, these kids ended up repeating their parental behavior, not precisely copying the polite manners but often picking up the grunts and slurring.

The interesting revelation was the uncanny precision by which children gestured; they could replicate even the most minor expression or facial movement. Parents would note that texting while talking or dismissing calls during dinner would rub off on children, who soon started texting with one hand and eating with the other and also claimed they were "busy" when someone called.

According to Shelly Lane, an international parenting expert who advises parents, "Children are natural learners, especially when it comes to mimicking their parents. So what parents may often overlook is the exact behavior they would like to avoid in their children."

However, it's not all doom and gloom. The study does note that with the right guidance, parents could indeed shape the first lessons of etiquette, manners, and communication in their children. To limit the negative aspects of this mimicry, parents should first mind their own behavior, then stress upon the child the “right” action and the “wrong” action, so that the child progressively learns the appropriate action through observation and imitation, setting themselves up as effective role models.