Paging Miss Manners

It's official. I'm an old fart. I have started complaining about "kids these days" and their lack of etiquette and slovenly appearances. Rude behavior at drive-through windows or wearing pajama bottoms out in public seem to be the fashion du jour.

To quote a wise woman, No manners is worse than no money. And, unfortunately, this lack of manners does not rear its ugly head just among the young. No, no, no - even those my age and older suffer from this malady and I fear they have either lost or never had good home training.

Whatever happened to saying "thank you" when a gift was received? Verbal and electronic acknowledgments simply do not count, but sadly they are more welcome than no response whatsoever! I want a handwritten note, preferably with impeccable penmanship and on very expensive stationery. I do make exceptions, however:

Let me assure you: this lovely note, written by my nephew, was heartfelt and overwrought. You try being five years old and spelling the word magazine. Even I must admit the smell of Crayola crayons and the feel of stickers is better than anything Crane ever produced.


And although he did not have the appropriate vocabulary to say, "Thank you for the lovely gift subscription to Ladybug magazine that will be sure to enlighten and educate me," four-year-old Walter made his true feelings known by sketching a shoe on a monster, in graphite.

Lesson learned?