Miss Manners

We are trying to teach Audrey some manners. Being polite is definitely not a requirement in today’s brusque world, but it is a simple act of kindness that is still appreciated. We would like Audrey to say “Yes, sir” or “Yes, ma’am” when an adult asks her to do something.

This concept is actually foreign to me because it is only seen in the South. I almost had a heart attack the first time someone said “Yes, ma’am” to me. I thought that I must be elderly and senile and had simply forgotten that I was elderly, because I am definitely not a “ma’am”. This expression of respect eventually grew on me, like many things in the South, such as mullets (which my kids have both rocked during various phases of hair growth).

Yesterday, Adam was reminding Audrey of the fact that when Daddy asks her to do something, she should say “Yes, sir” and her reply was “No thank you, Daddy”. Today, the notion of refinement is gaining momentum because when Adam requests something of Audrey, she replies “Yes, ma’am”. I’m pretty sure she’s ready for the debutante ball.