Forgiving

People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right. - J. K. Rowling

  Don't gloat; it makes forgiveness even more difficult.

Commendations

Whenever you commend, add your reasons for doing so; it is this which distinguishes the approbation of a man of sense from the flattery of sycophants and admiration of fools. - Sir Richard Steele

Like the advice but love the language.

Pulling Up

There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up. - Booker T. Washington


Putting down is the same as pushing down.

Neglect

Neglect is a form of abuse. - Tina Redse

..... Always wondered why I hated being ignored.

Weekend Trivia

The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend. - Chuck Palahniuk

  If someone asks you how your weekend was, don't disappoint them - ask them how their's was.

Be Tough Pleasantly

I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay. - Madonna

You can be tough, ambitious and know what you want and still be pleasant.

Good Manners

Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people's bad manners. - H. Jackson Brown Jr.


It's not bad manners to teach your children good manners.

Bad Behavior

When a woman behaves  like a man, why doesn't she behave like a nice man? - Edith Evans


I can't remember anyone saying they were impressed by someone (man or woman) who acted like an ass.

Tender Words

The words you speak today should be soft and tender...for tomorrow you may have to eat them. - Unknown


Or they may come back to bite you.

Manners

The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any. - Fred Astaire


It is even more important to teach your children manners when they have few peers as examples.

Friends Indeed

When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is any thing you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it. - Edgar Watson Howe

Soup when sick, cookies when work needs to be done.

Dining Logistics

A smiling face is half the meal. - Latvian Proverb

It's hard to see smiling faces when everyone is watching the TV. Dining room tables were invented to solve this problem.

Investing in Politeness

Politeness and consideration for others is like investing pennies and getting dollars back. - Thomas Sowell

Assume people are good, until you learn different.

Dinner

Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying. - Fran Lebowitz


When I'm cooking dinner there are only two items on the menu; take it or leave it.

Trade Etiquette

In order to protect rights or trade, we need a way to do so, and etiquette provides us with such a means. Etiquette is a form of communication which, like language, requires both parties to understand and abide by certain conventions. You could not have morality or trade without language. And all social interactions also require additional commonly-understood protocols. - Gus Van Horn


You have every reason to expect being treated respectfully, honestly and morally even from those who have differing opinions. 


(Other posts on Respect)

Precocious?

There is a difference between precocious and obnoxious. If every one else but you thinks a kid is obnoxious then you must be the parent. - Lyle


(Other posts on Manners)

Hurling Insults

A gentleman of Miss Manners's acquaintance was once subjected to a barrage of unwarranted insults. Outraged on his behalf, she asked why he did not trouble to defend himself. His reply (and please forgive the inelegance for the sake of vividness) was: "If someone is throwing up on you, you get out of the way. You do not stay around to examine what is coming up." There is nothing you can say to people who, whatever they may think, see fit to hurl crude insults at you. - Miss Manners

One can fight fire with fire and risk getting burned or you can deprive the fire of air.

(Other posts on Manners)

Insults

A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me. - Frederick Douglass 


If you throw out an insult you are not a gentleman.


(Other posts on Manners) 

Augmented Post

Sometimes I have more to say. From a previous post:

Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone. - Gertrude Stein

Thank you for reading this blog.

Sometimes one way of showing gratitude is by having good manners. Lack of good manners is a sure-fire way of appearing that you do not appreciate another's generosity. One wouldn't think that in this day and age manners would need to be taught, but experience tells me otherwise. Here are a few thoughts on going to someone else's house:

- Arrive at a decent hour. If someone is providing a place for you to stay then don't arrive in the middle of the night - there are motels for that. If the proprietor of a motel wants to get a good nights sleep there is always the "No Vacancy" sign to turn on. Your hosts don't have that luxury.

- Remember that it is the whole family that is opening their home to you as a guest. That includes spouses, kids and pets. Treat them all with respect. When you leave, thank all of them for their generosity.

- Be interested in your hosts. Find out what their interests are - it will come in handy in expressing your gratitude. A token gift reflecting their interest is far more meaningful than a mere verbal thank you or something you like.

- Talk about things which interest your hosts - they may not care about what interests you. Include the whole family.

- Do your part. Remember someone's house is not a restaurant, motel, spa or vacation destination. Help with the cooking; do the dishes; clean up the mess; most of all, clean up your own mess (better than you would at home). To leave your hosts with extra chores will surely make them remember your stay - but it may not be a good memory. 

- When in Rome.......... Find out what your hosts preferences are and abide by them - not the way you usually do things.

- Reciprocate the generosity shown you. Make the effort to figure out what you can do whether it is buying dinner out, providing that something extra special for the house or meal, offering to take your car - something.

If your stay was a pleasure for your hosts you probably will be invited back! If they were generous enough to open their house to you then be generous enough to open your house - it was no easier for them than it is for you.