At my house, gift-opening can be chaotic -- especially during the holidays. As much as I try to get my kids to pace themselves, they end up ripping through boxes and gift wrap so quickly that it's sometimes hard for me to keep track of who gave what.

As a result, I haven't been very good at having them write thank you cards. It's a poor excuse, I know.

In years past, if I didn't take notes or if the gift opening got a little too crazy, I still wrote thank you cards on behalf of my kids that were a little generic in nature. But now that they're older, I feel as though they should be writing their own notes, even if it's just a picture they've drawn.

In a recent column, Miss Manners chastised a mom who complained about having to slow things down by making her kids pause after each gift they opened. That way, they can tell her what they got and from whom so they can write very specific thank-you notes, as requested by their grandmother. "It was torture," the mom wrote. "For them and myself. It ruined Christmas morning for me wanting to see my kids dive into the gift opening, and I'm sure it drove them crazy. I was writing and missed their expressions."

 

Miss Manners told her she was wrong and her mother-in-law was right. The kids shouldn't be tearing into the gifts and yes, they should be more conscious of the gift giver by taking notes.

Parents: Do your children write thank-you notes?

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