Writing thank you notes is lost among today's children and it's the parents who are to blame for this carelessness. Former headmaster and Independent Schools Council chairman Barnaby Lenon said that the tradition has been on the decline with the advent of technology. But there's actually a valuable lesson that kids can learn from writing thank you notes.
These days, parents encourage their kids to use technology to send their thank you messages to family members for the birthday or Christmas gifts. Kids simply text on the phone or send a note to grandpa or auntie on Facebook. But according to the education advocate, this is not the same as rationally writing and sending a thank you letter.
"It always has been good manners and it is part of what makes for a civilized society," said the former teacher, according to Daily Mail. "It adds to the sum of human happiness."
Traditional letter writing takes time and careful thought, which means that the person has made a real effort to express their gratitude for the gifts received. Showing gratefulness is as important as showing kindness and generosity, according to Miss Manners on Mercury News.
When we teach our kids to embrace the lost art of the thank-you note, we model for them a practical way to... https://t.co/WsXcNa5nJk pic.twitter.com/veRcjSQTcr
— re:new (@renewcotf) December 14, 2016
Barnaby Lenon also said that if parents instill the habit of writing of thank you letters in their kids early on then they will do this as grownups and encourage the same habits when they have children. In his own family, he admits it's a challenge to motivate the children to write the letters these days. He uses various tactics of rewards and even threats of no more presents come next holiday.
National Thank You Note Day is annually observed every Dec. 26, according to the National Day Calendar. Perhaps for 2017, parents could add this as a goal for the family. It's never too late to start a new tradition or re-ignite the ones that could be dying. Are you up for it, parents?
