My Single Mom Life

One of the things a lot of people in the Southern-Fried Carnival talked about, was manners of people in the south.
Maybe other parts of the south people have manners, but they do not here, and it's not just the young people here who don't have any, it's the old people, the ones who should know better and actually demand respect.

Take for example the other day when the boys and I were walking to the grocery store.
We were on the sidewalk waking in a line, just the three of us. These two old ladies, ok older, mid to late 50's, maybe 60's, were behind us.
They sped up and were right on our heels huffing and puffing.
They were literally one pace behind Sebastian's steps.
They did not say excuse me so they could pass, oh no, they started to shove my son out of the way.
I grabbed him and pulled him out of their path, and they just kept going. No excuse me, no thank you for moving, no apology for shoving my son.
I yelled really loud after they had passed us but were just a few paces ahead of me; "Excuse you!"
They didn't flinch.

In the store, we are often shoved out of the way by grocery carts commandeered by oldies. They need that loaf of bread or gallon of milk. Now.

It always amazes me that people say manners are a thing of the past and it's the fault of young people today.
No it's not.
I have raised my sons to be polite, say please and thank you, hold doors open, let ladies go first, to say excuse me etc. It's the old people, the ones who know better, the ones who demand it, who have taken manners away.
They demand that people respect them and be polite to them.
You get what you put out.
If you're a disrespectful old codger with no manners, don't be shocked if people aren't being polite to you. You kind of deserve it.

My sons have held open doors for people, gotten them carts at the store, helped them get things off top shelves that their shortened old bodies can't reach, and not a one of them says thank you.
It baffles me.
Someone is being a genuinely nice human being and they can't even say thanks.
There's a reason the youth of today says screw you and gets on the bus before the old people, or doesn't say excuse me or thanks, it's because the people who demand that kind of respect and treatment, aren't giving it themselves.
They just think everyone owes them something simply because they are old.
I'm disabled myself, I have a right to sit in the front seats of the bus, use the motorized cart at the grocery store, park in the handicap spot. But I don't demand it. I don't think I'm entitled to be treated any differently than anyone else, but I do use my manners, I taught my sons manners, and it would be so nice if the old folks who demand it from us, could brush up on their manners themselves.