Make Miss Manners proud

Maybe it's just me, but I love good manners. I was raised to always say "please," "thank you," and "you're welcome," as I'm sure most people were. As I've gotten older, I've started noticing how infrequently I hear good manners from everyone. Older people seem to have a better grasp on politeness, while people from younger generations can't quite get a handle on it. There's no denying that wherever you go, you hear moms telling their children to say "please" or "thank you." But at what age do those children start to forget their manners?

Over the summer I had to babysit my three younger cousins for a few days. One afternoon we played tennis and I decided I'd reward them for missing out on the ice cream truck that passed by, so we went to get ice cream elsewhere. On the way there, one of the girls thanked me for taking them and said to her brother and sister, “What do you guys say?” The two of them then proceeded to thank me and it really warmed my heart – as corny as it sounds – to hear the three of them say “thank you” and mean it. Clearly they were raised to pay attention to and make use of their manners, but why aren’t manners more prevalent in today’s society?

It used to be that people said “please” and “thank you” without being prodded. It’s not so often anymore that people hold doors open for others and hear a simple “thank you,” or let another driver go in front of them and receive a wave – a non-verbal version of “thank you.” I’m simply recommending that we get back to basics and use manners with one another. You just never know whose day you might improve by being courteous.