Ever since I can remember, my parents have always emphasized the importance of having good manners everywhere I go. Any time they took my brother and me to a restaurant and I'd inevitably blurt out to the waiter, "Can I have chicken fingers and french fries?" My parents would stop me in my tracks and give me a stare that silently meant "Where are your manners?" and I would almost immediately blurt out "PLEASE" in an overly enthusiastic and aggressive way, I'm sure.
It always used to annoy me to no end. I just wanted my damn fries! But now I could not be more thankful for every "please" and "thank you" my parents forced out of me. Today, I say please and thank you all the time, some might say it's to the point of excess. I say it to my waiters and the people who clear the table every time they do something, to the CATA bus drivers as I hop off... hell, I say thank you as my teacher hands me a test I'm dreading. But, honestly, I think everyone should!
It seems to me that manners are becoming more and more of a rarity. I see it everyday... people who don't realize that the small things people do for us are not luxuries, but niceties.
I heard a person on the CATA bus the other day complaining about how much of "a bitch" the driver was. But, I'd probably be a bitch too if I was toting around thousands upon thousands of college kids a day and only a small percentage of them even acknowledged my mere existence as they walk directly by me.
I'm realizing pretty quickly that this is turning into a bit of a rant, but poor manners just really irk me!
Here's what I'm trying to get at:
Having good manners, and I don't just mean saying your please and thank you's - but wishing someone a good day, welcoming a newcomer with open arms, flashing someone you don't even know those pearly whites - those simple manners would really make the world a better place if everyone took the time to use them. It makes me feel good when I use them, and it makes me happy when people use them with me! I would imagine it would have the same effect on everyone else.
So... thanks for reading! Have a good one :)
My mom was the same way with me. Everywhere we would go I would get lectured about manners and it was the most annoying thing in the world. There are a lot of people here, and most of the ones that I have seen display less than stellar manners. I mean, would it kill you to say excuse me when you walk into me!
ReplyDeleteI literally think about this all the time! I grew up with my mom always pushing the importance of good manners into my mind. Now I always say thank you and excuse me and sorry to people. Sometimes I even say sorry when its not my fault! And one of my biggest annoyances is the fact that every time I ever accidentally bump into someone I say sorry, and I feel like no one ever does it back. It makes me so happy when someone else appreciates good manners!
ReplyDeleteEmma, your parents may have had good manners in a restaurant, but no where else.
ReplyDeleteYou're a very sweet girl with good intentions.. but you are also very narcissistic. It runs in your family. Try to work on that. Literally look up Narcissism in the dictionary to get a clear definition of it, then work around NOT being that type of person. You will be much happier.