Do your children still write thank you letters?
Do you insist that your children write thank you letters for gifts?
We’re a bit late with ours, but slowly, yet surely we are getting through them. I mentioned this to a friend yesterday and she was surprised we bothered.
“We used to, but we just send texts now,” she said.
It wouldn’t bother me if I received a note of thanks via text – at least the recipient had made some effort to acknowledge a gift – but I’m not sure I’m ready to go down that route myself.
There’s nothing better than receiving a handwritten note from a child that thanks you for your gift. As much as anything, I know they have had to put a lot of effort into it as 99 per cent of children are practically tied to the chair to write them.
I know mine hate to do it, even though it actually takes very little time to do.But I believe that it is good manners to send them if you cannot thank them in person. It acknowledges the fact that someone has spent time and effort finding the gift and sending it. Who cares if they’ve just clicked the “buy” button on Amazon? It’s their hard earned cash.
However, timeliness is also a factor – and if I don’t get a move on, our thank yous will be woefully late, which is just as rude as not sending one at all.
Jayne – saw this whilst rooting around on my desk for my address book, so we can write the envelopes for the thank yous so carefully scrawled. I think it is a good principal, and to some extent offers a little payback to distant aunties who can be reassured that the family is not going to the dogs and some common courtesies still remain. Whether they do in reality is irrelevant. And it’s a good writing exercise for a six year old. When they’re ten maybe they can text their own replies, and we will all be eating space food and going to work on hover bikes.
Chris B
17 Jan 12 at 8:42 pm
I think it’s a wonderful idea, especially if you don’t actually get to be in the same space as this person. I wish more people thought like this….christmas and birthdays seem to have become a competition to who gets the most presents or the most expensive presents….i have been so disappointed that my nieces and nephew seemt to just grab, unwrap and thrown down and move onto the next gift without even acknowleding the giver…but also the parents who ring up (or to honest they actually send a text) and say you need to buy this one this present….um excuse me? I get it if I’ve asked for a suggestion or needing to know what they are into but to say right you need to buy this game without any thought with how much i could afford or even want to spend
Katrina
17 Jan 12 at 11:31 pm
[...] “Do Your Children Still Write Thank You Letters?” from Jayne Howarth [...]
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17 Jan 12 at 11:53 pm
I’d love to go to work on a hover bike! Thanks for commenting, Chris. Goodness, we were dragged up well!
Jayne
18 Jan 12 at 10:24 am
Thanks for responding, Katrina. I’d never assume anyone “should” buy anything. Wow (in a bad way).
Jayne
18 Jan 12 at 10:25 am