Mind Your Manners

Published November 24, 2015 | By Holly Hibner

Manners To Grow On
Lee
1955
Submitter: I found this while working on a long-overdue weeding project in our J section.  We all know manners are lacking in society today, but this book is NOT helping! If anyone doubts that this needed to be weeded, just look at p. 9, the section called “The Curtsy.”  The author says it is “…not only polite, but very charming.”  I especially love the clarification she provides, that the curtsy does not need to be “a deep one, as though they were being presented at court.”  Because of course that has plenty of relevance for today’s kids (not)!
Holly: It’s lovely to teach children manners, but if you teach your kid to curtsy I’ll just think they’re…”eccentric” or “different,” not polite. It’s not their fault they have weird parents who make them to curtsy, so give a kid a chance. You can’t make kids today to be nice by hoping the 1950s will come back. This book does not teach them not to text at the dinner table or not to say things like “LOL” to dear Grandma who has no clue what they’re talking about. It suggests you allow tradesmen to come inside when it is raining, which is not safe (milkman? laundryman? Who are these magical people?). In fact, in many communities children shouldn’t be answering the door at all. Once again, safe and relevant trumps “cute.”
More Manners:
Get Your Modern Manners On
The Sisters Teach Manners
Manners for the “Now” Generation
Fish Manners and Morals