DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have three kids, ages 4, 9 and 12. The oldest and youngest have no problem writing thank-you notes for gifts. They actually get excited and try to pick out exactly the card or paper they think the gift-giver would like best.
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Our middle child used to enjoy it the same way, but now she refuses. We've talked about why we write thank-you notes, but she consistently argues that no one else in her class does this. Some of our peers (we're in our 30s) think we're being too hard on her and echo the "No one does that anymore" thought process.
Are we wrong? Is this really something that kids aren't expected to do anymore? I feel that writing a simple three-sentence letter is a reasonable expectation for her age.
GENTLE READER: One of the side effects of everyone pretending to be a child well into their dotage is that we forget that some arguments are, frankly, childish.
That your 9-year-old's classmates are badly behaved -- assuming it is true -- should carry as much weight as the argument that Ethan's mom lets him have candy for dinner and stay up all night.