Common Courtesy

not so common!  Ok a bit off topic today.  This morning when I was dropping my son off at school we followed two older boys into the school and neither of them made any effort to stop the door from closing even though we were only a couple of steps behind them.  On my way out of the school I held the door open for a couple of girls going in and neither of them said a word.  In the car park I was in my car with my reverse lights on when a father in his Porsche pulled up right behind me and sat there while his son got out. On the drive to work someone cut into the waiting line of traffic, obviously they were too good to wait like everyone else.  All of these things smack of two things a lack of "common" courtesy and a lack of consideration.

I have a friend whose ex-husband is a teacher at a very expensive private girls school here.  He had a call one day from a mother demanding to know why he wasn't teaching her daughter manners.  Obviously a parental inability to teach manners has nothing to do with socio-economic factors.  When I was working in retail a mother and child came up to the counter with the child demanding "I want a doughnut, I want a doughnut!".  The mother stopped the child and made her repeat the demand as a question with a please "Can I have a doughnut please?"  The mother then turned to me and demanded "Two doughnuts!"  I must say the temptation to look at her and say "say please!" was almost over whelming.  Our children learn manners from the example they see in the people around them.  If we use manners with them then they will use them with us and others.  It is a very easy thing to let slip but it is also an easy thing to stick with.  Teaching our child this most basic of human skills - being considerate of others and having meaningful interactions with them is so important.  It is a huge shame on our "modern" society that we think we don't have time for this.

When I talk to my kids about why manners are important I tell them that manners and courtesy are the grease which makes life and society run smoothly.  I am often told what good manners my children have, which surprises me, it makes me proud as well but it surprises me because it means they are different to the other children around them.  I for one will continue to do my best to teach my children to think of others and to show them respect because I think in turn it will mean others will think of them and show them respect.  It will make their lives that much better and more meaningful and after all isn't that what we all want for our children.