Thank You, Smank You... I Want More!
So, today I walked out to get the mail and there was a small envelope tucked inside the bills and magazines, and I got very excited. I heart handwritten notes of all kinds so I always tear it open with anticipation to see who wrote to me, and what beautiful sentiments they had to say."Mrs. Kennedy, you are the best teacher because we did math races on the chalkboard and they were so much fun. I also had fun having breakfast together. I know I'm going to be a 3rd grader, but I will always remember my 2nd grade year with you. "
Imagine my surprise when I read this...
This is from a recent college graduate, folks. With a degree in business. From a large university here in Missouri.
That's all I get? Thank you for the card and gift?
And the weird thing was that we didn't even get him a gift. We gave him money. Not a lot of cash, but enough to buy about seven or eight latte's from my favorite obsession, or a couple of cases of beer for all the graduation parties he was most likely attending.
I know I'm mounting my high horse here, but please... I want more! Did you receive so many gifts and wads of money that you just couldn't keep them all straight so you sat down quickly to take care of the obligatory thank you notes so your parents didn't nag you anymore to get them done?
Did you forget you weren't texting or IM'ng, but writing an actual note?And you just have to think his grandparents were waiting at the mailbox every day for their thank you note. I hope they received more heartfelt sentiments than we did.
Is the art of writing a descriptive, handwritten thank you note dead?
Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now, but I would still be interested in reading what you all have to say about this lost art. Leave me a comment and let me know if you think I'm being too hard on this young man, or do you think perhaps I should cut him some slack.
Labels: thoughts
7 Comments:
Lori ~ I stumbled across your blog and have enjoyed reading your recent posts. We seem to have some things in common which is cool. I have one child, an 8 yr old son, and graduated from high school in 1981. I agree that the young man who sent you the thank you note should really have spent more time on his note. He could have told you what he was going to use the money for and made the note more personal. That is one thing I want to instill in my son that it is important to thank people for things whether it is their money, time, or prayers. I'm glad I stumbled across your blog and will be back to read more. Love your blog design. Susie did mine too.
Unfortunately, it seems that we're lucky these days if we get ANY kind of thank-you note. I do think it's a dying art, and that puts us in a sad state. Oh, and I think the minimum for a thank-you note should be three sentences! :)
I'm with Katrina in saying that kids are a step ahead of others by acknowledging the gift in any way, however that really is brief!
Also, it might be just me, but I always wondered if it was polite to mention the CASH! Thanks for the money! I love to receive cash gifts, and like Lisa mentioned, I usually say, "I will probably put it towards X."
I could not agree with you more. The first thought that came to my mind is at least he wrote a whole complete sentence. With IM and text messaging today, no wonder writing is becoming a lost art. I guess he thinks "at least I wrote a thank you." Some people don't even do that.
We really enjoy your blog!
Today it seems, kids just don't show
their appreciation or gratitude in the same manner in which we are used
to! Not that they are not gratful
they just react and do things different.
We could say...Wow how times have changed!
Yep, the art is dead...I had a bear of a time getting my DS 1 to do his for High School graduation last year. I'm ashamed to say what they went out as...though they were computer generated and a "bit" better than this one.
Thanks for stopping by again. Have a great day!
:-) Susan
You could probably guess by my profound love of writing that handwritten notes are an ART and should be treated as such. I'd say his mom probably told him to write it and then didn't actually review before hand.
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