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