I’ve allowed a little situation from earlier this week to get under my skin. I won’t get into specifics. As my friend Barb – and fellow blogger – has joked many times, it would be great to have a secret blog that no one you knew read so that you could blast out your every thought without the consequence of upsetting people in your life.

But I digress…

Simply; I found someone’s behaviour rude. I was (am) annoyed. I’ve yet to shrug it off.

Meh. This happens.

Some things are easier to look past than others. I don’t want to be the manner police, but let’s say for today’s blog that I am.

What has happened to common courtesy? Has it become an optional attitude that we can choose to use each day as we would a toothbrush or a pair of socks?

Pardon me, but courtesy doesn’t NOT go with these shoes…

I was taught manners. They were ingrained in me. I was taught respect. Not just for others but for myself. When I was a kid it was not only the parents that were in charge of these qualities. An aunt, a neighbour or even the lady at the cash register was quite happy set you straight – it was still an ‘it takes a community to raise a child’ mentality.

I have passed this onto my kids. It is an expectation. I do expect them to mind their *Ps & Qs. To be thoughtful and kind.

To be grateful.

I expect them to be good house guests and respectful neighbours. I don’t think that it’s old fashioned or extreme parenting. I’ve explained to them how much further someone is willing to go to aid you when you are polite. Or how understanding people can be with a simple ‘I’m sorry.’ My kids do not struggle with the concept, in fact they are polite and thoughtful boys. They respect themselves enough to understand their value and in turn recognise how they should behave and treat other people. I am very proud of them.

I don’t find that it takes any exhausting effort on my part to say thank-you when someone offers me their service. Or to be considerate about someone’s time, space or needs. Community thrives under these conditions. Indifference and apathy are the chisels which divide a group. It is in our nature to look to our neighbours for support much as our ancestors relied on their clan members for survival. And really the first, and utterly effortless step in these relationships, is courtesy.

The act of rudeness, which initiated this particular blog, was not intentional. The person was simply discourteous, indifferent and thoughtless. And why did I get so prickly over it? I don’t know. I guess the real question is; should we expect people to mind their manners?

Yes. I think we should.

A little rant-y for this week, huh? Please feel free to share your feelings on the subject.

Xo

D

*I, of course, use Ps & Qs in the modern usage of the phrase – my kids do not serve alcohol 😉