After a week of encountering way too many people with little to no manners, I thought I might do some digging on some forgotten manners. When I was a kid, manners were very important. Especially if you didn’t want your ass beat. Not only has that changed but I think most have frankly, been forgotten. Do parents even teach kids manners anymore? Do they insist they act like human beings or have they just taken to raising spoiled little brats because it’s simply easier than making them behave? Hell I heard last week about 11 year olds on probation. What the hell do you do at 11 to be on probation and did your parents kick your ass for it? If my kid was on probation at 11 he’d never leave the house again till he hit 18 and ready for a tour in the Army.
But I digress. My post was about manners. Although, if we still taught them maybe we’d have a lot less jackasses on probation. I tried to list some manners I rarely see used anymore.
Shake hands. Why don’t 20 somethings know to shake hands when introduced? And they really forget the old adage of never offer your hand to a woman. You shake if she offers her hand first. I guess I don’t miss this one much with Covid though.
Remember when people would step outside if they had to take a phone call? Now they not only just blab away but most love that speaker phone so we now get to listen to both sides of usually stupid conversations. If that wasn’t bad enough, what happened to no phones during dinner? Does anyone even eat dinner together any more?
How about those really simple ones like saying excuse me. How about knocking before you enter a room (if you ever walked in on your parents having sex, you will do that one the rest of your life). Take your shopping carts back to the front of the store, use a turn signal or how about that old one, please and thank you. I can’t remember the last time someone said you’re welcome. Even drive thrus are have a nice day, no please, no thank you.
One of my personal pet peeves is being late. It is the prime example of bad manners. If you are supposed to meet me at a certain time, be on time. My grandfather always told us being late suggests that your time is more valuable than the person you left standing there waiting on you. Well guess what, it isn’t.
The one thing Slightly can not stand, period. Smart mouth little kids. Nothing crawls up my backbone sideways more than hearing a little kid smart off to parents and they just stand there. That damn you tube video everyone thinks is uber funny where the little kid keeps saying to his mom “look Linda, listen Linda” makes me wanna beat that kids ass. I heard a neighbor kid this week tell his mom shut up I’ll come in when I’m ready. Thank goodness for him I am not his parent cause it’d be damn hard to walk back inside with two broken legs. I heard another yell at his mom to shut the hell up. Slightly’s kids are 40 and they would tell you even now, that would get you ass beat so bad you’ll need a parents note to stand during class for a week. They were raised to say yes ma’me, no sir, please thank you and never even considered smart mouthing off to an adult.
One reader told me she taught her kids that yes you will answer to God for bad behavior, however God will get you later but I’ll beat your ass now. Maybe more parents need to teach that message. This crap about we don’t spank our kids is total bullshit. You’re kids figured it out by the time they were 2. Manners say a lot about how we raise our kids but then again, they were too smart to eat tide pods when I was a kid.
Peace out fellow parents. Signed Slightly.
signedslightly@gmail.com
Inner Thoughts of a Self Diagnosed Slightly Sociopathic Mind 