When did children stop practising good manners?

Question

I travel regularly on buses.
I cannot recall the last time I saw a young teen offer their seat to an elderly person, a disabled person or even a pregnant woman.

Answer 1

You can't practice something you've never been taught.

Answer 2

Okay for starters I'm 42. The rudest age group in this country are the 50- 70 year olds. They have treated their own parents badly, yet believe they deserve some kind of respect. For what I say? Something about that era seems to have given these people an over inflated sense of entitlement. Sure some kids are ill mannered but there is some chance of still teaching them.

Answer 3

When parents stopped teaching them.
When people stopped really thanking others for their courtesy.

I was on the BART system between Oakland and San Francisco. An elderly woman got on the bus (cane and all), my husband got up to let her sit. He didn't have to race to do this, she passed many people to get to a secure place to stand. He had to get her attention and give her his seat. THEN an elderly nun got on and tried to make her way from the back to get to a strap to hold onto. When she passed me, I insisted she sit in my seat. I don't know what is with people who do not think these two women needed the seat more than they did. Both of these women were very thankful.

Answer 4

They stopped practicing when moms went to work outside the home full time and as a result moms weren't around before and or after school to remind children of their manners.

They stopped practicing good manners when moms started working outside the home full time and there were no more family dinners at the family dinner table where moms and dads could observe their children's social skills and offer constructive criticism within the safe confines of a loving home.

I could go on, but as you can see, I am an advocate of stay at home moms or at the very least, mom's that work Part time so that they are able to juggle both responsiblities of work and home without being too overwhelmed.

Simply put, it is the parent's responsibility and when the parents (one or the other or both) aren't around, then who is going to teach them?

Oh, and I am well aware of the divorce rate and the number of single moms (and dads) in the world. That is an all together different subject, though obviously related to my opinion on working mothers.

Answer 5

It's not a matter of when children stop practising good manners, it's a matter of when parents stopped instilling manners into their children. Parents don't teach their children that it's polite to offer your seat to a pregant, elderly or disabled person.. just like parents don't teach their children to hold the door open for someone, to say please or thank you.. it's not the children's fault.. it's the parent's fault.

Answer 6

When parents started letting them out of the house, with the idea that the 'signs' on the bus for 'reserved seating' for elderly & disabled, (to be inforced by the drivers), children have not had much 'opportunity' to 'practice good manners'.
Anyway, just because YOU don't SEE it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It's usually never necessary because of the signs & use of other forms of transport for old folks, disabled & expectant mothers.
In the event of observance of old folks, disabled & expectant mothers boarding, would you give up YOUR seat, as to 'set an example'?
Oh wait...are you old? Feable? Expecting? All of the above?
Have a nice day, anyway! ;-)

Answer 7

Like all the others have said, it's the parents. My kids are very polite to others, and I have watched my son help a little old lady on the T in Boston. He gave up his seat (despite the fact he had a broken wrist and was in a cast and holding the grab bar was harder), and held the lady's arm as we all exited at Kenmore Square. When the lady offered my boy $5, he declined, and wished her a great day. He was 10 at the time. I was never more proud.

Answer 8

When parents no longer follow the rules of etiquette and good manners passed on from their parents it shows in their children. The parents of today are to blame for their children's lack of manners, respect, and observance of social graces.

A glaring example of a simple courtesy now forgotten is when a young man or boy walks inside a home, a church, or a neighbor's house and refuses to remove the ball cap from his head.

Answer 9

Children stopped practicing good manners when we as parents and as a society stopped teaching them.

Remember the days of community parenting? If you were out of line, and your parents weren't around - any adult could scold you and put you in your place. Then, when you got home - you were punished again by your parents for getting out of line. Parents nowadays are often too immature themselves, self-absorbed, or too ignorant to teach their own children - let alone impose standards on others.

Schools are not allowed to teach children 'values' or respect - and are not allowed to discipline for poor behaviour.

We allow and encourage children to call adults by their first names - not 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.' - which is disrespectful.

We removed the ten commandments from the schools and courthouses to appease the less than 1% of the atheists who were 'offended'.

What do we expect???

Answer 10

Good manners begin with home training. These kids did not get what they needed. In my experience most of them still have the manners that I was raised with; overall there are only a few rotten apples.

Answer 11

I travel by rail frequently and I see many young people offering their seats to others all the time, as well as a handful who don't. Same as it has always been.