Traditional Manners Boomers Follow That Younger Generations Ignore

Many of us grew up learning the basic foundations of manners. Saying “please” and “thank you,” holding the door open for the person behind us, chewing with our mouths closed, and many other things that don’t seem to be as traditional as they once were. The Boomer generation, and even Generation X, were taught how to be respectful but it seems as though newer generations like Millennials and Gen-Z just aren’t as aware. Let’s see what manners these earlier generations still practice.

Writing Thank-You Notes

There was a time when if you received a gift, you wrote a thank you note — handwritten, mind you — and mailed it to the person you were thanking. In fact, there was an entire stationery industry that thrived on creating beautiful sheets of paper and carefully coordinated envelopes to ensure that not only were the words of thanks thoughtful but that they looked nice too.

Practicing Good Table Manners

Folks of a certain age likely recall being told to put your napkin in your lap, elbows off the table, chew with your mouth closed, and the proper way to set a table and use the utensils. And don’t forget to say grace.

Politely Answering the Phone

The irony of phones today? No one likes to talk on them. Boomers know that there was a time when you answered the phone with “Smith residence.”

Dressing Up For Air Travel

Traveling by airplane meant one thing was certain: you were to be dressed up for this exceptional travel experience. Women wore skirts or dresses, men wore suits and ties.

Respecting Your Elders

Whether you were interacting with your parents, your teachers or any other adult, children were always to address their elders at sir and ma’am as a show of respect.

Standing When an Adult Enters the Room

Whenever an adult entered the room, children were to stand up and acknowledge their arrival as a show of respect. Bonus points if you extended your hand for a handshake.

Tipping Your Hat

Speaking of toppers, men were also expected to tip their hat as a greeting or show of recognition for another person.

Opening the Car Door for Your Date or Significant Other

It was considered polite for a man to open his date’s or significant other’s car door for her and close it once she was neatly inside before he got into the driver’s side.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©kryzhov / Shutterstock.com.