Importance of good manners
To the editor:
I’d like to take an opportunity to thank my mother and father for teaching me the importance of “please” and “thank you” when I was 6 or 7 years old. Why now? Well, I feel compelled to thank them after:
1. Visiting a local store and spending over $50 dollars of my hard-earned money with them, only to have them say “$53.75” and stare at me blankly, take my money and say nothing. Mind you — not “that will be $53.75 please” or “thank you for your business.” Hmmph.
2. The very same day while waiting in line at a local sandwich shop with “mature woman.” When the counter person asked “What would you like today, mamn?” The woman replied, “Yeah, I need a____.” Not, “May I please have____.” Then the woman, chose to change her order by saying “yea, change the mustard to oil.” No “please,” “would you mind?” no “thank you.” Stunning.
Finally, last example, same day: A man of an age where he should have acquired some manners over the years, was *barking* into his cell phone at the deli counter of a local grocery store, presumably at his wife… he then turned to the deli person and said “Yea, you got_____? yea, gimme a _____”… all the while continuing his conversation loudly on his cell phone. No niceties, zero etiquette, no acknowledgement that the person behind the counter is a living breathing human helping him. The deli person smiled (God love her!) It was as if this man was operating in his own open air insane asylum, honestly! Insufferably rude and too self absorbed to know it.
So Mother: Thank you. Thank you for teaching to say “please,” “thank you” and “may I” and “just one moment please and for teaching me to respect my elders, even if they have zero respect for me or those around them. As for this new gadget we call a cell phone, I suggest we all hand these citations out just to watch the expression on their face. Manners — who needs them. Clearly you don’t need to be over 50 to be part of this club but it seemed rather startling to witness these actions all in a matter of a couple of hours, all by people of this particular generation. This is clearly not the Greatest Generation.
Mom, I know we all make mistakes and we do our best to correct them, but this is an epidemic down here! Were you wrong? Should I just say “gimme” and “yeah, hang on a minute?” Nah. I love you Mom and Dad and you were right; manners do go a long way and take such little effort. Not many people seem to subscribe anymore… God Bless, I love you and I miss you. I’m losing some faith down here but I’ll keep trying to do my best.
Maura Anne Mulcahy
Bokeelia