I read this in class with my students, but I thought these tips were also good for us adults to be reminded of as well.
This comes from Capricia Penavic Marshall who is an expert on manners:
- Know your manners. You give yourself an advantage when you know the appropriate way to act.
- Do not say thank you with an e-mail. People appreciate a hand written thank you note.
- Give others your full attention at the dinner table. Put the cell phone away, and engage in conversation.
The second one is something I agree with, but I keeping coming across people who feel that writing thank you notes is very outdated. I don't write thank you notes for everything little thing, but I do write them from time to time to show my appreciation to someone. I do feel that writing thank you notes is very necessary for wedding, shower, and graduation gifts.
And I totally agree with the third one. I keep coming across people who are totally engrossed in text messaging and I tend to wonder why I am even hanging out with them in the first place since they obviously have something else occupying them. Bob and I were out at dinner one weekend and we saw a family sitting together and the three "children" all looked to be about in their twenties. All of them were texting on their cell phones and nobody at the table was talking to each other or to the parents.
Reading the article in the kids magazine was a nice fresh reminder that even the little things we do can speak volumes of how we value other people. Showing kindness and consideration does not take much effort and it makes everyone feel good.
Amen Sista! I agree with the thank you notes. I great up with a mother who required us to write thank you notes for ever gift we received for Christmas before the end of the week. The habit stuck with me. Also the cell phone thing could be said for riding in the car. It's one thing to take a quick phone call but long rides with someone always on the phone with someone else is annoying!
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