Thank You!

I am fortunate that Hunter is considered the most polite child in his class. The twins also get praised at their speech therapy and different appointments for always saying Thank You. We were in Publix the other day and they all got a free cookie from the bakery. They all said Thank you. The woman said she was amazed that they did that on their own. She gives out cookies all day long, and not even the parents bother to say thank you. I told her it was something I taught them from before they could even speak. She asked, "how do you teach them that so young?" I told her I said thank you when I gave them things, and I tell them thank you when they do something I ask of them. Like sitting down at the Dr.'s office, or picking up a toy. She said she really appreciated being thanked even if it was just for giving them a cookie. That got me to thinking. Do I say Thank You as often as I expect the kids to? So I have made a real effort this week to do that. Again at Publix I went down an aisle and a young man was stocking shelves. He saw me coming and immediately started moving the boxes he was emptying. I told him not to worry about it, there was plenty of room for me to go around. Then I turned to him and said, "By the way.. thank you for keeping groceries on the shelves. That's hard work, and without it I couldn't feed my family. You have a great day." He thanked me and told me he hadn't been thanked like that since he went up to help during hurricane Katrina. I told him it was a shame we all take each other for granted. I told an older man "Thank You for your time, I really appreciate it." when he made me a sandwich at Publix today. (Boy I go to Puiblix alot! I have thanked other people too!) He told me to come back anytime and he would keep me stocked in extra pickles! It made us both smile. How hard was that? I am proud of the kids for being thankful, and I will try to be more thankful myself. So.. "Thank You!", to you all for taking the time to be interested in our lives. Have a great day!