Mariska Hargitay: August Minds His P's and Q's!

Bauer-Griffin

There are some compliments that top all others when you’re a mom, and for Mariska Hargitay hearing what a well-behaved baby boy she has in 3-year-old August Miklos Friedrich takes the cake. “My son made me look really good when two people told me he said ‘Excuse me, would you be so kind…’” the 45-year-old Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star recently recalled for OK!

“Ooh! She said, ‘What have you been teaching him?’ And I went, ‘That.’ He’s very polite, and that makes me very proud. He’s Mr. Please and Thank You. That’s important to me.”

Dad Peter Hermann chimed in to describe August as a “happy kid” — which brought Mariska’s emotions flooding to the surface. Of her husband of nearly five years, she tearfully revealed, “[He] is the most soulful poet that I know, and he makes me very happy.”

Source: OK!

Comments

I LOVE Mariska and LOVE her son. I love his name and he his so adorable. That is so neat.

- Jessi on August 2nd, 2009

Beautiful story!

- Valerie on August 2nd, 2009

I agree. Nothing better than a child with manners and nothing worse than one without.

- brannon on August 2nd, 2009

Manners are a huge deal with me! I think we’re raising a generation that is rude and egotistical. My son is super polite and I am also so happy when people tell me he was!
He just met a new little friend and said “Excuse me, I just wanted to say it was nice meeting you.” He’s only 2 1/2!

- Nina on August 2nd, 2009

That is always the best thing to hear. I watch kids all day and when their parents tell me how well behaved they are when I am not there, it makes me as happy as if they were my own. Just wish I wasnt the one who had to teach them to be kind and say thank you and please. But I would rather it be done than not, Ya know.

- Michelle on August 2nd, 2009

August is the most beautiful celeb baby.

- Delly on August 2nd, 2009

I just love this family. They seem to be so very sweet. I wish there were more stories about them.

- Shannon on August 2nd, 2009

Love mariska!

- foreverandalwaysphotography on August 2nd, 2009

I absolutely LOVE this woman! It always makes my day to hear about her and her beautiful family! Congrats to you Marish on your very polite mini-me!

- Katie on August 2nd, 2009

August is just a reflection of the beautiful mother who tem.Admiro much Mariska, she has personality and is a very beautiful and sweet.

- Ana Claudia on August 2nd, 2009

manners are very important to me. you just start very early on. when our kids were making their first proper “word” sounds we would start by saying “what do you say?” whenever we gave them something. and then answer for them “say ‘thank you’” and they picked that up very quickly. soon we’d say “What do you you say?” and they’d go “thank you” and eventually it becomes automatic. and the same goes for all other polite phrases. like if they ask for something saying “only if you say please” they learn that very quickly. and reminding them to say hello and goodbye to everyone and those kinds of things. it really isn’t difficult and not a big deal if you just make it understood that being polite is not an option it’s a necessity….

- JM on August 2nd, 2009

They seem like such a well rounded family…we need more families like them. And manners are very crucial in this day and age. I am a teacher, and manners are highly important in my classroom. I can’t believe how demanding children can be these days. Not all, but some of them are very rude and disrespectful. But that ALL changes when a child enters my classroom!

- Marissa on August 2nd, 2009

I think politeness is very important too. I’m trying to teach my colleague at the moment. He is 25, I’m afraid it might be too late for him!

- Anna on August 2nd, 2009

Not to disagree but I know lots of kids who TECHNICALLY have good manners, say excuse me and so on but are the most demnading kids I know! They iuse their mannres like weapons! I personally think its not just the form, its the content of manners, ie to think pof others that is the really impotrant thing.

- deedot on August 3rd, 2009

that little boy is absolutely gorgeous. one of my fave celeb kids. good to hear at least they’re trying to instill manners in him. better than some kids you run across who have obviously never been taught please and thank you at home.

- Mary on August 3rd, 2009

I hope she’s blessed with another child soon. They are such good parents, and August is a cutie pie. I remember how big he was when he was born! 10 lbs or so.

- sara on August 3rd, 2009

amazing how much he looks like her.

- allisonB on August 3rd, 2009

Not that this matters but I didn’t think they have been married five years. I thought they just got married not long after he was born. Am I wrong?

- Julie on August 3rd, 2009

@Julie

They were married for a few years before August was born. 5 years is right according to my memory.

- Jessica on August 3rd, 2009

They were married long before he was born.

- Darlese on August 4th, 2009

Julie- I think you might be confusing them with Alister Stewart’s parents (his father is Rod, but I forget his mother’s name. I think it’s Penelope- Penny for short- or something). Alister is around the same age as August, and his parents DID get married shortly after his birth.

- CelebBabyLover on August 5th, 2009

Her son is so cute!! I hope that she has many more cuties in the future!!

- Michelle on August 6th, 2009