Manners...

A while back I wrote a post about thank you notes and whether or not they are really important (I do believe they are).  I've been faced lately with the simple issue of just saying or hearing 'thank you.'  What is up with that?  How hard is it to say those two words to let someone know you are appreciative of what they have said, what they have done, what they have offered, etc.?  So before I feel I can criticize the actions or inactions of others, I need to first look at myself.

Do I always say thank you to hubs when he does something for me or says something kind?  Admittedly no, but I do try.  Do I always thank the girls when they finish what they are told to do, or when they see me lying down with a headache, bring me a warm wet cloth for my forehead?  I try to, but I do not always.  Regrettably, the reason I feel I do not always tell hubs or my girls thank you each time is because I take them for granted.  That right there is a realization that I need to stand up to...those you take for granted don't usually stick around, or at the very least lose whatever respect they had for you.  I need to make this my New Year's resolution - to be more gracious, stop taking family and friends for granted, to let people know that their kindness is appreciated.  If someone is kind enough to take the time to do something for me, I need to be equally respectful and take the time to let them know that I truly appreciate what they did.  Right?

Our PTA at the girls' school does a lot for our teachers and support staff beyond fundraising to help them buy what they need to buy.  We had a dinner catered for them that started off our school year, our volunteer VP coordinated a desserts and coffee right before winter break, we provide dinner for them on conference nights, we periodically go through the school with a cart full of coffee and donuts just because we can.  After we have done something along those lines there are a couple of teachers who are absolutely excellent about placing a little note card in our box in the front office just to say thanks.  Those cards go a long way in keeping up our morale so that we can do more to help boost their morale.  Having people tell us thank you makes the difference between us doing more because we want to and doing more because we feel we have to.

So I think I'm going to take note of that in my own home, with my own family.  Thank you goes a long way.  I like to hear it from my children, we are trying to raise them with proper manners.  And since I know how it feels to me to hear it, I know then that our children will feel the same way when I say it to him.  Same goes for hubs...he's the absolute last person I want to perceive I am taking advantage.  I love and respect him too much to do that.

This is definitely something that WILL matter ten years from now.  By that point I pray that our daughters are well-mannered young women with grateful hearts.  And when hubs and I are sitting outside together...when he brings me my cocktail I will be sure to say THANK YOU!  :D