Early this morning I caught up on the VMA Award Show via youtube and watched in horror as some very unmannerly events happened. For those that don’t know Kanye West jumped on the stage just as Taylor Swift won an award and was about to give a speech.
Kanye grabbed the microphone and shouted Beyonce was the best, then handed the mic back to Taylor and left. The recent incident with Kanye West has me thinking of how important it is to teach our children manners. Here are some tips for etiquette.
- Teach your child manners at a young age. I began …read more

Scarlet, my actively online-dating friend, had another dating adventure this week. While visiting  “back home,” an older brother of a guy we grew up with made a tentative dinner date with her. They had previously chatted (briefly) on Singlesnet.com, but only in a friendly way, not flirty. She was not impressed with his inability to commit to a time or place.
Scarlet asked around and heard that he was “a pretty boy,” “too old,” and had “man boobs,” so when her mom hurt her wrist, she was presented with the perfect excuse to cancel the date. “Canceling” meant she just didn’t …read more

I posted in How To Succeed When Meeting the In-Laws about using rules about etiquette, that your parents drilled into your brain while growing up, when meeting your significant other’s family.  A lot of people don’t believe in etiquette anymore, but I think that it creates a set of standards to fall back on when you find yourself in new and awkward situation.
Etiquette is not something that should rule your life…Remember Countess Luann De Lesseps from Real Housewives of New York?  Now she took it too far.  But I do believe that there is a place for etiquette in relationships …read more

My husband said he didn’t read my “yes ma’am/no sir” post yesterday but he did scroll down to read the comments … I suppose because I mentioned that I was elated to get three replies. (Sometimes it feels like no one is reading … sigh.) He said Peggy’s comment struck him because – yes ma’am/no sir aside – he thought things like opening doors for women was just common courtesy. It struck me too. Surely that isn’t a trait limited to the South? Have I lived here so long that I have taken for granted how truly kind it is?

Rick reminded …read more

Rick says Truman should be learning to say, “Yes ma’am” and “No sir.” It’s because we live in the South and all well-mannered Southern boys and belles say it. I was raised here but my parents weren’t Southerners, so I wasn’t taught to say such things … which makes it difficult for me to train my child to respond in such a way. It just doesn’t come naturally to me.
When Truman says, “yeah,” when asked a question, I know it makes my in-laws cringe – and probably every other Southerner of their generation. I don’t want my son to grow …read more

Finally! After much consternation and carping on my part about the lack of proper e-mail etiquette these days, comes music to my ears.
In the words of manners expert Letitia Baldridge in this week’s The New York Times Sunday Styles Section:
“…we need to have grace in our lives, and I’m not talking about heavenly grace. I’m talking about human grace…”
Ms. Baldridge is referring to how we compose, and more specifically how we sign-off on our e-mails.
Your salutation should be warm, friendly, appropriate to the situation or environment you are in…and above all it should be polite and friendly.
This article was …read more