Southern Gentlemen

One of the things that has really impressed us in South Carolina is the manners exhibited by the kids. It is amazing how often you hear them saying, "Hello!", "Excuse me", and "Thank you!" And it is wonderful how little you hear curse words, or see disrespectful behavior directed to adults and other kids.

This was especially evident last Halloween. We probably had 75 kids come by trick-or-treating. Without exception, they all smiled and said, "Thank you!" Their costumes were all cute or interesting, and not the least bit offensive. What a contrast to the trick-or-treaters that stopped by our house in Alexandria. We usually only got one group of kids. They dressed in offensive costumes (usually over-the-top portrayals of trashy women), were loud and rude, and certainly never said "thank you".

Today we were at the Zoo with a wonderful friend and her two boys. I noticed that each time she asked her older son a yes or no question, a yes response was "Please". I was so impressed by how polite he was! Especially for a 2 year old! Those parents are definitely instilling in their children a good sense of manners and respect!

I told her how impressed I was, and we had a short discussion about Southern manners. (Well, as much of a "discussion" as two moms can have when chasing 4 little boys around the Zoo!) It seems my observations of Southern manners are correct. Most children here are taught to be respectful, especially to adults.

So I guess that as our boys learn to talk more and more, we need to start practicing "Yes, sir" and "Yes, ma'am". That seems to be the standard around here. I hope that as our sons grow up, other adults will see them like I saw the polite and respectful trick-or-treaters this last Halloween. And there's certainly something to be said for raising our sons to be respectful Southern Gentlemen.