Saturday, October 20, 2012

13. You Annoyed Me at Hello: Why Kids Still Need to Learn Manners


            Many children now, as opposed to old fashioned kids, have dropped using titles when addressing adults.  Instead of referring to their elders as Mister or Miss, they simply use their first name.  This ranges from mere neighbors all the way to college professors.  Seeing this issue, while trying to influence her children in the other direction, Carolyn Jones explores the validity of formal titles.
            Imploring good research as well as evidence, Jones presents her views on this subject, confessing that she may be “stuffy” about it.  She speaks of her own husbands experience, him being a professor who is constantly informally addressed.  His annoyance on the subject is more than likely shared by other adults who view casual mentions as an issue.  Jones also brings Peggy Post, director of the Emily Post Institute, into the affair.  Post responded to the dilemma saying “I still say it’s a good idea to teach our children to use appropriate titles, Mr., Mrs. and Ms. are not necessarily old-fashioned. Though our world is informal these days, a lot of adults still expect children, especially ones they don’t know, to refer to them by their titles.”
            Entertaining as well as informational, this article uses a good hook to draw readers in and keeps them attentive to its message.  The issue, most likely overlooked, provides a good window to view what our society is akin to now.

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