Thank you, Ma'am

When I first moved here to Oklahoma, I used to feel annoyed, maybe a little angry even, when people would call me ma'am. Or my least favorite: Sweetie. I mean, you're a complete stranger. How do you know if I'm sweet?

I recently listened to a conversation on the radio where they were discussing a msnbc article talking about how rude our (Gen Xer's) children are. It immediately made me feel grateful that I live in an area where parents still teach children to be respectful and kind. That manners do matter. Children don't smart mouth their teachers, and if they do, it is not tolerated.  I'm not saying every child here is perfect or there aren't rude children, but mostly I just see very polite kids.

And now that I think about it, I don't think anything would make me happier than hearing my children telling an adult, "thank you, ma'am."

And I feel happy when the stranger at Gigi's cupcakes calls me a sweetie. Or maybe the frosting makes me feel that. Either way, thank you, Oklahoma, for being such a positive influence on my family.