Dear Reader (is it too soon to address you as Good Manners Fan?),
Tonight I write you about something that always irks the Good Manners Family: The Friendly Wave.
Well, actually it's really the Lack of Friendly Wave that irks the Good Manners Family.
Good Manners Dad got the Good Manners Daughters started on it, because he is always, shall we say "disappointed," when 9 out of the 10 people he lets out at a difficult left hand turn just outside of our neighborhood merrily drive off with no acknowledgement of his courtesy.
Why is that, we wonder? Are we invisible, we wonder? Does the driver think it was a miracle after waiting long minutes for a break in the traffic, we wonder? Doesn't he (or she) realize that she (or he) would not have gotten out except for Good Manners Dad?
But, I have to tell you what's great about Good Manners Dad: He may be "disappointed" 9 out of 10 times, but he will still let that driver out in traffic each and every time he sees someone stuck. The Good Manners Daughters routinely ask "Where's our Friendly Wave?" each and every time it doesn't happen, and we all have a good chuckle. (Okay, and sometimes maybe we "boo" the other driver, depending on how clueless he or she was.)
But we give a big Good Manners Family cheer when, that 1 time in 10, we get thanked with the Friendly Wave!
(And, hopefully the Good Manners Daughters are learning from Good Manners Dad that although they may not always get a thank you, they should still do things the right way.)
Looking forward to blogging again soon,
Leslie
http://www.goodmannerskidsstuff.com/
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Internet Frustrations
Dear Reader,
I would never have thought that it would take me over a week to make my second post. I have been unable to get on the internet because of our horrible connection. How frustrating! I had just gotten up my nerve to start my blog last week -- and then I wasn't able to do anything to it.
Needless to say, I've used some choice, colorful words about our internet connection -- words that I blush to say should not appear anywhere near a Good Manners Mom Blog! (Now, if I'd called it the Bad Manners Mom Blog ...)
We received all of the technology to switch our provider today and I hope that I will now be able to start blogging (and learning exactly how to blog) a little more regularly!
Because this is my manners blog, I thought I'd better leave you tonight with one etiquette observation about our phone-obsessed world:
We are so attuned to immediate phone gratification -- as soon as we hear it ring, our eyes turn right to the phone to see who is calling or texting. Because we can be in touch, we have to be in touch. Stopping a conversation at work or dinner to see who is calling (and to then respond) is telling our companion that his or her presence isn't important to us.
Yes, I know that there could be an important call coming through -- a child's school or a client's call -- and I'm as guilty as you are of checking to see who is calling. But yesterday at work it struck me how rude I was being. So in the afternoon, I physically forced myself not to look at either my work phone or cell phone when it rang. And, you know what? The messages were just fine for having waited 20 minutes to be heard and then answered. (To parents out there, I admit that my older daughter doesn't buy this -- but maybe she'll absorb it through observing my stellar example.)
Today, though, I was expecting a call from my younger daughter's teacher. We've been playing phone tag and I really needed to speak to the teacher in person. So right at the start of my meeting I apologized in advance in case I needed to take the call. It felt better to handle it that way to me. What do you think?
Well, that certainly wasn't fun or entertaining! I need to lighten things up.
I'll tell you what I really think is obnoxious -- when people leave their blackberries next to the phone so that when you are on the phone with him or her and a call/text comes through on his or her blackberry, the static interupts our call. And then that person has to say, "Oh, sorry, my blackberry."
That's just rude on so many levels -- move your (words a good manners mom shouldn't use) blackberry, for goodness sake! You suspect he or she put it there so that you are made aware that he or she has important blackberry business (in case you had any doubt of his or her importance.)
Phew. Maybe tomorrow I'll talk about ATM etiquette. Or not.
Blog you soon.
Leslie
www.goodmannerskidsstuff.com
I would never have thought that it would take me over a week to make my second post. I have been unable to get on the internet because of our horrible connection. How frustrating! I had just gotten up my nerve to start my blog last week -- and then I wasn't able to do anything to it.
Needless to say, I've used some choice, colorful words about our internet connection -- words that I blush to say should not appear anywhere near a Good Manners Mom Blog! (Now, if I'd called it the Bad Manners Mom Blog ...)
We received all of the technology to switch our provider today and I hope that I will now be able to start blogging (and learning exactly how to blog) a little more regularly!
Because this is my manners blog, I thought I'd better leave you tonight with one etiquette observation about our phone-obsessed world:
We are so attuned to immediate phone gratification -- as soon as we hear it ring, our eyes turn right to the phone to see who is calling or texting. Because we can be in touch, we have to be in touch. Stopping a conversation at work or dinner to see who is calling (and to then respond) is telling our companion that his or her presence isn't important to us.
Yes, I know that there could be an important call coming through -- a child's school or a client's call -- and I'm as guilty as you are of checking to see who is calling. But yesterday at work it struck me how rude I was being. So in the afternoon, I physically forced myself not to look at either my work phone or cell phone when it rang. And, you know what? The messages were just fine for having waited 20 minutes to be heard and then answered. (To parents out there, I admit that my older daughter doesn't buy this -- but maybe she'll absorb it through observing my stellar example.)
Today, though, I was expecting a call from my younger daughter's teacher. We've been playing phone tag and I really needed to speak to the teacher in person. So right at the start of my meeting I apologized in advance in case I needed to take the call. It felt better to handle it that way to me. What do you think?
Well, that certainly wasn't fun or entertaining! I need to lighten things up.
I'll tell you what I really think is obnoxious -- when people leave their blackberries next to the phone so that when you are on the phone with him or her and a call/text comes through on his or her blackberry, the static interupts our call. And then that person has to say, "Oh, sorry, my blackberry."
That's just rude on so many levels -- move your (words a good manners mom shouldn't use) blackberry, for goodness sake! You suspect he or she put it there so that you are made aware that he or she has important blackberry business (in case you had any doubt of his or her importance.)
Phew. Maybe tomorrow I'll talk about ATM etiquette. Or not.
Blog you soon.
Leslie
www.goodmannerskidsstuff.com
Monday, February 9, 2009
My First Post
Hello!
Welcome to my Good Manners Mom Blog!
This is my very first post.
I'm so excited to start blogging ... but I have to admit that I'm not quite sure how this all works. But I figure I'll never find out if I don't start somewhere, so here goes!
You know, to be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure that I want to call this my Good Manners Mom Blog.
I set it all up and now I think it might be more on topic to call it my Bad Manners Mom Blog.
That certainly sounds more interesting -- and much more entertaining. And, although this blog is about the importance of teaching our children about good manners, I can't pretend to be Miss Manners or Emily Post or some other well-known (and probably perfect) authority. I'm just a boring, working mom, who wants the world to be a better place for my kids. And your kids (or your grandchildren, or nieces or nephews, or anyone you care about).
So I hope you'll bear with me as I get used to this whole blogging thing. I've got lots of bad- manners-moments to share that you'll hopefully get a good chuckle out of. And, once I get up and running, I hope you'll share some of your bad-manners-moments with me, too!
With warm regards,
Leslie
Good/Bad Manners Mom Blog
http://www.goodmannerskidsstuff.com/
Welcome to my Good Manners Mom Blog!
This is my very first post.
I'm so excited to start blogging ... but I have to admit that I'm not quite sure how this all works. But I figure I'll never find out if I don't start somewhere, so here goes!
You know, to be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure that I want to call this my Good Manners Mom Blog.
I set it all up and now I think it might be more on topic to call it my Bad Manners Mom Blog.
That certainly sounds more interesting -- and much more entertaining. And, although this blog is about the importance of teaching our children about good manners, I can't pretend to be Miss Manners or Emily Post or some other well-known (and probably perfect) authority. I'm just a boring, working mom, who wants the world to be a better place for my kids. And your kids (or your grandchildren, or nieces or nephews, or anyone you care about).
So I hope you'll bear with me as I get used to this whole blogging thing. I've got lots of bad- manners-moments to share that you'll hopefully get a good chuckle out of. And, once I get up and running, I hope you'll share some of your bad-manners-moments with me, too!
With warm regards,
Leslie
Good/Bad Manners Mom Blog
http://www.goodmannerskidsstuff.com/
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