Thoughtfulness

The neighborhood kids are incredibly rude here. I don't know if this is due to poor parenting or just a different generation, but they definitely do not have the same sense of having good manners as my friends and I did at their age.

A group of teenage boys play basketball in the street when it's cool enough outside. They always try to get that last shot off before my car approaches them. I literally have to stop my vehicle and wait for them to throw the ball and retrieve it. When I was younger and played in the neighborhood, we would dart to the sidewalk as soon as we saw a car turn onto our street. That was just how it worked.

One evening while walking Bella, a group of younger kids saw us coming and a boy shouted in a thick southern accent, "Oh, I'm gonna pet that thang!" Then they all ran over and pet Bella in excitement. I'm so thankful that Bella is good with children.

And then I saw this video of a young kid giving a baseball to a younger fan and it gave me hope in humanity.

I know I'm crazy about manners, but it's so important!