People in the states say excuse me but in Europe they say sorry. Often people apologize but never mean it. When we force children to say they are sorry it is spoken with a half heart. I have seen the Beaver and Wally apologize and even though they are acting it is quite real as they do not mean it. This is also true with the kids on “The Brady Bunch.” When we were young we taught really good manners. We were expected to apologize for doing something wrong, hold open doors, speak politely and avoid slang. In the world today everything has changed. Manners are still taught at home and school but not really followed. Interrupting seems the norm not to mention being annoyed at almost anything. The heaving sighs, groans, moans, and the usual “Are you kidding me? Don’t you think it is ridiculous?” and more are really uncalled for. It is rare that older adults are called mister, misus, and miss. Even when I was younger I was surprised. The proverbial “Hey you” is always unappreciated. Society needs to return to having style, grace and class; to speak with proper English and grammar and to treat everyone with respect. I still remember writing about saying thank you to a little girl that held the door for me. The smile on her face was priceless. In “Bob Hearts Abishola,” the ladies in the hospital were discussing their sons’ manners. The two women from Nigeria were proud their sons’ held the doors as soon as they could walk. The nurse from America was thrilled her son held the door and he was sixteen. In the Good Gus series, all stories included good manners. It was important for the young reader. The Good Gus Series is available online at Kindle, Nook and Waterstones. Hard copies, personally autographed, are available through our website www.goodgusbooks.com along with past blogs for your reading enjoyment. Digitizing for all the books are available now! “Misplaced Trust” is now available on Amazon in e-book form.