It seems to me that maybe manners are where we need to get back to as a society. In the old movies you would often hear "Do you mind if I smoke?", and that was when smoking was considered healthy. I have an old magazine that has ads that promote it as such. One ad even says "Seven up" is good for babies! Imagine that!!!
I think that the expectation of consistent good manners, which are role modeled are a comfort to children and to adults. It must be hard on kids not to have a "norm" that is expected of everyone.
I car pooled a bunch of kids for a lot of years and would tell the kids it was like a language they needed to know. (Along with the new rule that you can't "punch buggy the driver").
My car was a curse free zone because it was "a life skill they were going to need" and of course I knew "they were smart and clever enough" to do so. I have to say they were pretty inventive. "Bleep, bleep" was very popular. Gosh I miss those days. Rarely did I make it home without a lot of laughter.
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