Check Your Manners At The Door

I am used to living with a man who strictly adheres to a southern gentleman's code, much the way his father did before him. This leaves me pretty unprepared for venturing out in public on my own because this type of man seems to be a dying breed. I mean, this is the guy who insists I wait in the car for him to come get me when we go somewhere, pulls the chair out for me when I sit, holds the door open for others, etc. He also mostly finds it impolite to swear in front of a lady (...although I've given him plenty of reasons to swear over the last thirty years). There is an old world charm to his behaviour that I find absolutely delightful, but apart from that I am a firm believer that manners, period, never go out of style even though finding them with frequency in the general population is become more difficult all the time.

This morning my husband texted me and asked if I'd like to come have lunch with him. I quickly got dressed and completed my morning chores, then drove the forty-five minutes to meet him. On my way home from a lovely lunch date, I stopped by the mall to look for a new pair of jeans. After some leisurely shopping, I was heading to the car, big bag in one hand, drink in the other, when I got to the exit. My hands were full, so I turned to use my butt to open the door and was caught off guard by a young man behind me who'd been following me very closely. He walked through the now open door, said "Thanks" and continued on to the parking lot. His complete lack of manners had me gaping after him. Once I got myself moving again, I became more irritated with every step...embarrassed for his parents and the boy devoid of even the most basic manners. I could sit here and work myself into quite a lather about it the way I did on my trip to the car, but the ice is melting in my lemonade and I've got a book to write. It is a waste of time to blow a gasket on the topic of poor parenting skills. I am thankful my own daughters are well-mannered, decent human beings. As for my husband, I'll confess...one of the top five things I love about him is the respectful way he treats others. That behaviour is not some act he puts on to make himself look good, it is hardwired into the wonderful man that he is down to his core.