“ My Mother would have killed me, and still will.”

by goldie

We were recently walking with our 24-year-old son in Chicago when a woman approached carrying several bags and getting her keys out. She stopped and attempted to open her building door. My son rushed over, held the door for her and picked up a bag she dropped. She said thank you, and as we walked away he said, “oh wasn’t that nice, she said thank you”. Then he said, “isn’t it sad that I think it is special when someone says thank you instead of expecting it?”

We went on to talk about manners in general and he said, “do you know how many times a day I say to other people “my mother would have killed me and still will if I acted like that!”

He said he was talking about adults, not children, and usually middle aged adults at that.

He is a flight attendant, the ones who take the abuse for the ticket prices and long lines. The one who you carp at about cramped seating, no food, bad food and general issues that are unpleasant to you about the airlines. He is also the one who will give all to save your ass in an emergency, who is trained in CPR and First Aid and can pretty much build you a shelter out of box of aluminum foil if you crash into that mountain top. But he loves his job anyway.

He says he is amazed at how people treat each other, the awful way they use manners and how many people live in their own “me world”. He has also had the other side of the spectrum too.

He recently had Brooke Shields as a passenger and said she is one of the nicest, most respectful people he has ever met. He has met lots of celebs, is not impressed per say with fame, just with their manners and treatment of others.

As we walked down the street to the restaurant we were going too, we all paid extra attention to the people we saw. We saw a young couple stop and help a mother navigate her child’s wagon across busy N. Clark St. We saw people honking and flipping off a delivery driver.

When we got to the restaurant there was a 15-minute wait. We said we would go to the bar – and immediately a young couple offered us their seats. We declined but chatted with them. We asked why they offered up their seats and the young man, in full tattoos, nose rings and spike hair said “that is how I was raised – my mom would slap me upside the head if I didn’t offer a lady my seat.” OMG- it was so surreal to hear him say that when we had just been discussing the subject. He was the perfect gentleman, he did is mom proud.

I guess the moral of the story is that the next time you are tempted to be rude to someone or talk with food in your mouth, spraying the people next to you – think about it.

If your mother “would kill me if I acted like that” then don’t.

Has someone done something really nice for you lately, like that young man did, without expecting anything in return??