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US $12.50/CAN $16.50
I grew up in Louisville, KY which is the gateway to the South and is always considered to be a Southern city. I now live in Buffalo, NY but when I was growing up my grandparents and parents always instilled in me that I should use good manners because it is the Southern thing to do and the proper thing to do. Especially my grandparents, with whom I spent a lot of time while I was growing up. They reiterated that fact often especially when we would go and visit my grandmother's relatives and friends, who often commented that "Marie is so well mannered and behaves well for a child her age". It was usually because I was precocious and mature for my age.
Manners, while useful, are often forgone today. I see kids that don't use them. I made sure I brought up my kids to use manners, especially please and thank you as basic as hello and goodbye. I feel that manners are essential to everyday life. They make getting what you want and need essential to a transaction and manners can often brighten the day of someone who is having a tough day. Saying a basic please and thank you can make someone smile.
The book I am going to review today, Manners That Matter Most: The Easy Guide to Etiquette At Home And In The World, is a great book for anyone who feels that their manners game needs some brushing up. It has a forward by Norah Lawlor, and was researched and written by June Eding. It has sections such as Why Do Good Manners Matter?, Incorporating Good Manners Into Modern Life, 25 Essentials To Good Manners and Helpful Tips and Guidelines for Social Situations. Manners and Etiquette make others feel welcome and show your friends and acquaintances that you care enough about them to make them feel welcome in your home, etc. It also reinforces social structure. People with good manners turn chance meetings into rewarding relationships. They approach things with more confidence. Instead of navigating life in a stressful way, people with good manners can navigate life easier. This does not include just please and thank you, but showing up on time or even early to an event. As that shows you care about the other person's valuable time and that it means something to you. People that are late to events and meetings show that they do not respect you or your time. Another is cleaning up after yourself. That also shows that you care about yourself and your roommates/spouse/kids. Teach them that cleaning up after themselves also makes good manners respectful to all.
I think I have shown why good manners matter and how to incorporate them into life, what are the 25 Essentials To Good Manners? I won't list them all but I will tell you the most important. First, take your time to be polite, don't rush. Instead of being in a hurry, just using a few seconds to be polite instead of rude can make someone's day and actually make you feel better. Make the most of your appearance. Instead of going out looking like you just woke up and got out of bed, put some thought into your appearance and I guarantee that you will look good and feel better. This I can say from experience. On the days where I don't feel good and I put on makeup it improves my outlook 100%. It makes me feel better and makes me look better. Another is Be On Time. This is a HUGE one for me. It drives me nuts when people are late. I consider them to be inconsiderate of my time and they don't respect me. I am always early to my events and meetings. I feel like early says something about me. I can't wait to get going. My ex-husband was always late and to me it said he didn't care about me or anything I was doing.
How about Expressing Gratitude the Right Way? From saying Thank You to writing a note all the way to giving a Thank You gift. You have to know what to to for each situation. An Offer To Help if often quite needed and I used to volunteer often. Before I was disabled that is. Now I don't do much anymore. Helping someone move is always a nice touch. Avoid Gossiping. This is harder than is may seem, since gossip just often comes out of your mouth without realizing it. But if someone told you something in confidence, keep it in confidence. Be a Good Listener. Just listen to someone when they need it. Avoid "Honesty Is The Best Policy". It can get you into trouble if you say something offensive. Some others are: Be A Person Of Your Word, Don't Expect A Thank You and Don't Criticize. These are all quite good, don't you think? I don't think I need to explain them out word for word. One final one that I do have a problem with is Don't Interrupt. I do this all the time without meaning to. My ex-husband freaks out on me because I often interrupt him when he is speaking to interject the word he is going to use. I don't know why I do it, I just do. But it is not polite.
The very last chapter has a section on table manners that is very helpful. It discusses how to hold a fork, where the knife goes, the soup spoon, etc. It mainly discusses American table manners and also briefly discusses how in other countries one may eat with their hands. There are also tips on how to be a good host or hostess. I have played hostess numerous times and I do find it to be stressful. It even talks about how to be a good guest too, because there are guests out there doing a lousy job.
All in all, I really liked this book. It taught me numerous ways that I can act more politely in society and increase my manners game so that I will be more polite and have better manners in public. I'd like to make sure that my manners are at their best when I am out. Since there are times I get very frustrated, I don't want to have issues with meltdowns.
Manners That Matter Most: The Easy Guide To Etiquette At Home And In The World retails for $12.50 US/$16.50 CAN. It is sold by www.hatherleighpress.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.amazon.com. Like Hatherleigh Press on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HatherleighPress; Follow Hatherleigh Press on Twitter: @HatherleighPr; Follow Hatherleigh Press on Instagram: http://instagram.com/hatherleighpr and Subscribe to Hatherleigh Press on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HatherleighPr.
Until Next Time~
Marie Papachatzis
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(This was sent for consideration)
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