Stickler for manners and etiquette

by Jennie McGhan
I am an advocate of displaying proper manners and etiquette in public.
Daily, I find myself telling my three children to display proper manners and to apologize when I feel they have been rude to someone.
Perhaps our society is becoming accustomed to behavior that was considered rude when I was a child. I am not sure. But, there have been times that I have told my children to apologize for rushing ahead and essentially cutting off another’s path. The response of those whom I felt were wronged, “You’re sorry for what?”
Or, maybe it is the mere fact that my children are still very young and it doesn’t faze people when these incidents take place.
Recently, I was inside an establishment to purchase my lunch. A group of teens entered the establishment, carrying food from another eatery. They did not order from the establishment in which they had decided to plant their young rears. No, they had the nerve to ask for napkins for the food they had already purchased.
This struck me as very appalling. I was very curious as to how the employee at the counter felt about the teens’ attitude. She said it had been the second time the same group had come in with food from another business. She told me they did not order anything from her the first time, either.
I tried to be as polite as possible, informing her that she had every right to ask the group of teens to leave.
I am still astounded that this group of teens felt they were not in the wrong.
However, I do not want to paint this group as the “norm.” I have been very fortunate to meet several youth in our community, who have exhibited manners and etiquette.
I have met youngsters willing to hold a door open for me and many have had the common courtesy of saying, “Please” and “Thank you.”
I just hope others are as appreciative of the teens and young children with these attributes as I am.

Display of poor sportsmanship burns me

by Jennie McGhan
This week I had the experience of traveling to another swimming pool with my son for a swim meet and observed something that unnerved me.
The Grandview Neptunes is a small team. They are accustomed to swimming in a 40-yard pool but do very well in the 50-meter pools when faced with the competition.
This week, I witnessed something I have never seen at any of the more than 10 meets I have been to this year.
I looked into the pool during a relay event and saw two boys from the opposing team stop in the middle of their event to slap each other a high-five.
These two boys were far ahead of all the Neptunes.
It bothered me because I wondered what message these boys were sending to their opponents.
Hey! Look at us! We’re so good, we can stop in the middle of our event and still smoke you?
Whatever the message was, I did not, and still cannot, understand the purpose of this behavior.
The purpose of the local swim meets is to create a positive environment in which the children of our communities can participate in a fun, safe activity.
I did not view this as a positive. I can’t think this was positive in any way.
Yet, those watching and cheering for the opposing team, including the parents, could be heard clapping and cheering when these two boys performed this act of poor sportsmanship.
If indeed this was not intended as a display of braggadocio, perhaps the coaches and parents of the boys should think about how it might be interpreted. From where I was standing, the action of the two swimmers turned what should have been a positive experience into a night where our youngsters not only lost the meet, but had their noses rubbed in it.
If the tables were turned, I would never condone such conduct from my child.