Rude people SUK!

Something I can really give my parents credit for is teaching me good manners. Now, I'm not saying I'm perfect because I'm not! But I like to think of myself as one who has been educated on how to behave as a decent human being and show respect for others. When I was a kid we used to carpool to school. My mom always insisted that we say, "Thank you for the ride." I remember how the moms who dropped me and Mike, my brother, off would smile as we thanked them for giving us a ride home. Many times their kids wouldn't.

Let me back up a bit and tell you what triggered my rant. I have always made it a point to really work with Isaac where manners are concerned. I have taught him to say please, thank you, excuse me, etc. since he was a baby. He has learned to ask to be excused from the dinner table. In fact, the other day we were watching TV and someone got up from the table without saying a word. Isaac said, "Ooooooh, he was being rude! He didn't ask his Mama if he could be excused." I was so proud of him for realizing that! A couple of weeks ago, when I had to put him and Gabi in temporary daycare the lady who watched them, Ms. Janet, told me that Isaac had really good manners and that we must be really working on that with him. I couldn't be prouder!

So for the past few months we have been teaching Isaac to open the door for people. He's gotten quite good at it. Most of the time I don't even have to remind him anymore, he just does it. There are still times he forgets, like today when we were going to the movies and he forgot to hold the door open for me as he ran in totally excited. However, we did have an incident at the post office today that totally made my blood boil. I took the kids with me to the post office after it was closed to use their APC (that's automated postal machine). It was just the three of us inside. Isaac was standing by the front door and say a lady coming. So he pushed the heavy door open and held it for her. She opened the other door (there were 2 doors) and walked in, blabbing on her cell phone. Isaac just stayed there holding the door for her. She checked her mail and then proceeded to walk out the door that Isaac was still holding. She didn't say one word to him. I expected a 'thank you' of some sort. She didn't give a smile even! I was SO mad! My poor little boy is just standing there and she is too busy and rude to bother to thank him. So I said very loudly, "You're supposed to say thank you." Isaac misunderstood me and thought I was talking to him, so he yelled 'thank you' very loudly to the lady! At that point I told him that he did the right thing by holding the door. I had to explain to him that sometimes people are RUDE and won't say thank you, but you should hold the door anyway. I told him that the lady was RUDE and she should have told him thank you.

When we left the post office the lady was still sitting in her car. I gave her a very dirty look and Isaac said, "Look, Mama. There's that RUDE lady who didn't say thank you." I sure hope she heard him. I just shook my head at her in disgust and left.

The thing that bothers me is that I bet she didn't even know what she was getting a dirty look for. It seems like more and more people don't have any manners, both men and women. It just makes me sad and mad.

So here are a few tips from me to you on how to have good manners. Feel free to add your own in my comments section. These are just the ones that annoy me the most:

1. Always say please, thank you, and excuse me.

2. You should hold the door open for people and let them go first. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman.

3. If someone holds the door open for you, always thank them.

4. When you are driving and you see someone is coming up fast behind you, pull over into the slow lane. Also, if you are going to go slow please drive in the right lane, not the left.

5. If you are going faster than someone in your car, do not tail gate them. This is rude and dangerous!

6. Never, EVER spit in public. Gross.

7. All other bodily functions should be kept for the privacy of your own home or bathroom.

8. If you smoke, do it somewhere private. There is nothing worse than coming out of a restaurant and being greeted by a nasty cloud of cigarette smoke. Ick! You wouldn't want me to fart in your face so don't smoke in my clean air.

9. If you are in the movies and someone sits in front of you, don't put your feet on their chair.

10. Close your mouth when you chew and never talk with your mouth full.

11. Never blow your nose and look at the Kleenex as if you are searching for a prize...gross!

12. If you can help it, don't blow your nose at the table. Sometimes this is hard if you are eating really spicy food.

13. Don't suck up your snot in your nose..you know the sound, like you are sucking back a big loogie.

14. Please avoid talking on your cell phone at a restaurant. You have no idea how loud you are really talking. I don't need to hear it.

15. If someone lets you in front of them in traffic, always say thank you by giving a quick wave. If you don't, next time I won't let you in.

16. Don't talk on your cell phone or text message someone in a movie. Also, don't wear a wireless headset in a movie either. That flashing light is so annoying.

17. If you take your kids to the movies, church, or anywhere else where they need to be quiet, take them OUT if they get disruptive.

18. When you are eating at the dinner table and want something, say, "Will you please pass the ___."

19. If I call you on the phone, don't talk to someone with you in the background. No side conversations. Give me your full attention.

20. Ladies (or men for that matter), if you pee on the seat, wipe it up. Do you really think I want to wipe or sit on your pee? That's just sick.

21. Men, put the toilet seat down. Plain and simple.

22. Internet ettiquette - don't write in all caps because that means you are yelling. Try to write in complete sentences or at least punctuate.

So that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure there are many more, and there are some that are family specific, like asking to be excused from the table. I'm sorry for the rant but I just had to get that off of my chest. It made me mad that my sweet little boy was doing the right thing that that ignorant lady was a bad example to him. Boo to her!

People, please, have good manners. I beg you!