Each generation carries forward certain traditions, behaviors and etiquette that were impressed upon them as being important according to their families of origin. In and of itself, that can be a beautiful thing. A grandmother may have a homemade chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe that she has passed down to her granddaughters who will then share the recipe with their own daughters, and the recipe will live on for generations to come. Or there might be a special pasta sauce recipe that gets passed down that no restaurant or store-bought sauce can ever rival. This writer is using food as an example of what may get passed down, but there are other things of importance that get passed down to children by their parents and other relatives that their particular family finds value in. It may be something seemingly basic like “always having good manners”. “Please and Thank You” may be so ingrained in them that they automatically say it without thinking in social situations. It may have been impressed upon them to always send a handwritten thank you card in response to bridal shower or wedding gifts that they have received. These are all simplistic, yet arguably important examples, of what one particular generation may value enough to instill in the next generation.
As this writer has gotten older, she has developed a better understanding of those who are 20 + years her senior. Older adults expect things to be a certain way, and I’m not referring to something like the price of corn at a local farm stand, or the cost of gas. Older adults have a ton of things that their ancestors instilled in them as being important. Values, rules, manners, expectations, etiquette…. and more.
To complicate matters, there are differences between generations and also within generations. These differences can be one of the reasons why there may be friction between different generations of individuals. What one group of people find to be important (I.e., saying thank you for a Christmas gift that you received), another group may not. Who would not understand the importance of saying “Thank you” when they receive a gift of any kind, at any time? Those reading this post may be surprised to discover that there are quite a few people that do not find it important to say, “Thank you” and they can be found within multiple generations.
While sending a “Thank You” card might be viewed by some as being outdated, this writer assures you that the person who bought a gift for someone, will also happily accept a simple “Thank you” via text, phone, in person, and/or by email. Does it really matter that much? Yes, it does. Saying “Thank you” is something that will never go out of style.
While this is not true of all cultures, there are many of us in the United States that are expected to give a gift for the following occasions: Christmas, Birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Bridal Shower, Baby Shower, Wedding, Graduation, Housewarming, etc. There are more occasions that you may think of that could be added to this list. Make no mistake, the majority of us are happy to give these gifts, that is not the issue. The thing is that many individuals pick and choose what parts of traditions they want to follow. The problems arise when the gift giver is expected to follow tradition, but the recipient of the gift is not. This writer was called to write this post because she has observed that there is an increase in the amount of people that do not say “Thank you” in situations that call for it. Those words are just as important now as they were in the past. You may not be remembered as the person who said, “Thank you”, but do you want to be remembered as the person who didn’t? I hope this post was helpful!