The polite thing to do

I have had several experiences in the past few months in which I have been completely surprised by other people’s actions–or lack of action–in situations for which it seemed perfectly clear to me what the right thing to do was. Without going into detail on each of those situations, here is a list of things my mother taught me about being polite. This list is by no means exhaustive. (I’m not going to even start on the number of quirky Southern euphemisms that have crept into my vocabulary, for example.)

• When you are eating at someone’s house, you must try at least a little bit of everything that is put in front of you. You also don’t season your food before tasting it, and preferably don’t season your food at all. 
• When you greet somebody, look them in the eye and have a firm handshake. Introduce yourself clearly. 
• When you walk into someone’s house, greet all the members of the household with an appropriate greeting (hug, handshake, etc.), especially the parents. 
• When you are an overnight guest a someone’s house, you leave your accommodations as clean or cleaner than when you arrived. You also ask the host where to put used bath towels and also whether or not you can take the sheets off the bed for them. 
• Whether you are having a meal with your family or at someone else’s house, you ask if you can help do the dishes from dinner. 
• You say “thank you” to whoever cooked dinner, no matter if it’s your momma or somebody else. 
• Don’t stare at people in public. 
• Don’t walk out of the house with a makeup line on your jaw because you didn’t blend in your makeup from your jaw to your neck. 
• Give as much as you can–and more than you can–to help the less fortunate. God will provide. 
• Be a defensive driver, but make sure you are prepared to hit the gas if needed as well. Going too fast or too slow on the roads can both be dangerous habits. 
• Don’t be on your cell phone when you’re checking out at a store. 
• Treat all people with dignity and respect, no matter their age or station in life. Give people the benefit of the doubt. 
• There are many more, but my brain is picked over for tonight.(I have two sick boys again and it’s been a bit of a long day :).