My topic for today is manners and respect, the old-fashioned kind. I admit upfront that I am comfortably middle-aged and more than a little traditional. That said, I am not usually very judgmental and can accept anyone, and many ideas, as long as we’re all peaceful about everything. Whew, is that attitude getting challenged right now!
In the last week, I have witnessed numerous incidents of children screaming, cursing or responding with sarcasm to adults, teachers AND parents. I have not observed a single parent try to calm or quiet a child or even display any concern about the disrespect. Really? Is this the way the adults of tomorrow are learning to interact with other people? I am pretty old-school, so I would like the “yes ma’am” and “thank you” to continue; but I am also flexible and very forgiving, don’t usually care about the words as much as the tone. Recently, I have hardly been able to believe my ears – in the grocery store, at school, shopping. Anywhere that children are in the company of adults, it seems you can hear loud, sarcastic and disrespectful responses, sometimes from the adults as well – oops, maybe that is the problem. Are we, as adults, becoming too much like the kids? Are we failing to set the bar high enough for decent behavior? Is the universal stress we feel traveling on to the children by way of our communication skills? I am concerned. Is anyone else?
i think that you have a verry good point mrs. norman. i use my manners but i do know that sometimes i do get out of hand with my attidude. i do have a lot of respect for all of my teachers and for my family, i just dont show it as much as i should and i know thats wrong of me.
Michaela,
You are a delightful young lady. Everyone has a lapse everynow and then. I think that’s all it is.
The best part, though, is when we know we can improve…that leads straight to improvement!