My family teases me about my obsession with etiquette. My grandmother bought me the largest
Emily Post reference book available long before most kids my age could say
thank you. And my sister has
actually gone so far as to suggest that I give gifts only to see if I will receive
a thank you note (which is complete BS, BTW).
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| Behold, Emily Post... |
While I can agree that I used to be a bit of a stickler when
it came to manners, I no longer am.
In fact, I’ve become straight up rude… and I blame my children for it.
At work, I tackle a to-do list like it is my job- because it
is. But at home, no matter how
long my list of to-dos, my kids are always at the top. The result, as everything else falls to
the wayside, I fear leaves me appearing aloof.
Invite me to your wedding and you are likely to receive my
gift as your first anniversary approaches. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve gone way overboard
on a few baby gifts because I couldn’t remember if I had ever even given a
wedding gift.
Send one of my
daughters a gift and you may have to wait a while for a non-electronic thank
you. And birthday goodies that
aren’t for a kid? Don’t hold
your breath.
But my intentions are sincere. This I guarantee.
Wedding gifts take time because I rarely purchase registry
items and try to find something with a more personal touch. Thank you notes often include a photo
of my kids wearing or using the item you gave them, which takes time,
especially with clothing purchased a size ahead. And birthday gifts almost always include even a little
something handmade.
Still, there are a few things I give myself credit for. I rarely make a cut from our Christmas
card list. Actually, I wouldn’t
doubt if there are a few people that receive my card and wonder “who the hell
are these people”.
I’ve also begun to take RSVP’s pretty seriously. If I could propose an 8th
wonder of the world, I would overlook whether Elvis Presley is dead or alive
and go right to a preschool parent’s inability to RSVP to a classmate’s
party. After two years of being forced
to debate whether to buy 1 pizza or 10, I’ve vowed not to put others into the
same predicament.
In hindsight, I think my problem (if you can call it such)
is that I love too much. I want to
do so many things and am unwilling to sacrifice anything. I don’t want anyone to feel left out,
not only because I don’t want to offend, but because they truly hold a place in
my heart.
The challenge then becomes finding a way to spread myself
thinly enough to reach everything I need to, but not so thinly that I fade away…
