Manners count

I've always had high expectations of my kids with manners. I expect please and thank you's at all times. Some times they have to be reminded, most times they don't.

The other might Zachary wanted to go to a school function. The texts involved went like this:

Z - Will u take me and Mitchell to the school at 7

M - For what?

Z - For Record Mimes

I was just leaving work when I got this text so I waited until I got home to find out exactly what he was talking about. It was a class presentation that one of his friends was involved in. So at 7 I took them. I told Zachary to text me when I needed to come get him. Here is the text:

Z - Meet us at bk at 805

M - Don't you mean can you PLEASE meet us at BK at 8:05?

No response from Z

M - Say please or I'm not going to get you
Z - Please

A little while later:

Z - Actually meet us by the busses please

Notice the please at the end of the last text? The kids is smart, he knows that I would have been mean enough to make him walk the 2 1/2 miles homes had he not corrected what I took as a snotty-demanding text and said please.

I would love to think at age 13 I wouldn't need to remind him. And I could make excuses and say he didn't ask nicely because he was texting, but it only takes a couple extra seconds to type in the word please.

Manners count.