More on Manners… Using your manners and being polite is not something quaint for a past time. It is being respectful of every person you have contact with. Chivalry is not dead, it’s just badly wounded. Do not make it worse. There is always a “pecking order” or “alpha dog”. This was never intended to subjugate anyone, it lessened chaos and created order. When people look at Chivalry and Etiquette and want to abolish them, it is certain they don’t understand them. Chivalry doesn’t just apply to male/female relationships. Man/Woman, Adult/Child, Firm/Infirm, the “stronger” one looks out for “weaker”. If you start applying manners to all interactions with others, you will be thought of as a kind and generous person. Be a Gentleman/Lady! “No one ever taught me” is NOT an excuse. If you can read (and you wouldn’t be reading this is you couldn’t) then you can research manners and learn them. Manners help make those around you more comfortable. PLEASE, respect others -- 'be polite' & 'use your manners'.

Be a Helper.You don’t have to be a Boy Scout to help out your fellow citizen. Kindness cannot be overused. Any opportunity you have to be helpful or kind, slather it on lavishly!

Eat Politely. Whether you brought your lunch or you’re eating out with friends, everyone appreciates good table manners. Practice what your parents (should have) taught you. Keep your elbows off the table, don’t talk with your mouth full, and avoid reaching across people to grab the salt shaker. Formal dinners have more etiquette rules, so if you’ll be going to one of those, take a little time to brush up on what’s expected.

Be Friendly and Polite. If you step outside your house during the day, you’re likely to encounter people, so try to be friendly. Even on miserable days when everything seems to be going wrong, forcing a smile has the potential to lift the mood of not only the person you’re looking at but yours as well. Offer a greeting, and you might even see an extra ray of sunshine. Certain words carry a tremendous amount of power when you care enough to be polite and civil to others. Add “please,” “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” and “excuse me” to your vocabulary, and you may find others responding with reciprocated kindness.

Toddlers are explorers, and scientists, and learners, but make no mistake they are also tyrants. Their days are spent testing to learn the boundaries of EVERYthing. How far up a ladder can they crawl before they fall? How many socks can fit on one foot? How many times can we ask mama the same question before she gives in? How many marshmallows can a child eat before getting sick? How far off of the bed can they hang without landing on the floor? Much of this is endearing and precocious, some is not. Children begin testing limits from the moment they are born. Sometimes we must intervene quickly for their own safety. We'd never let them run into the street without "stop, look & listen". We wouldn't let them stick their hand on a hot stove. Just as we must be vigilant about these obvious safety issues, we must treat their social behaviors and manners in the same way. Your life (and theirs) will be SO much easier if you set the boundaries when they are babies and maintain them. If you give in after many requests, they will continually test to see how far they can push you. If the boundaries keep changing, they must keep testing. Give them a small crack and they will exploit it. Let your yes, be yes and your no, be no. Loving and responsible parents don't need a lot of rules, but any that they set, they maintain. Sometimes it seems harder for the parent to stand their ground than for the child to be denied. Children who know where the limits are, are happier and more content. It sometimes seems counterintuitive, but it's absolutely true. Parents who say yes from a misguided fear that their children won't love them if they aren't "fun" are very much mistaken. Children will go out of their way to try to force a parent into setting a boundary. Love your child. Prove it by setting limits and sticking to them!