Dear___. Thanks for the ___. From ___.
Mrs Properly was so glad to get another question about thank you notes, one of her favourite topics. Only this one was a little bit different. Yes, it involved blanks that need filling.
Dear Mrs Properly
I know how much you like thank you notes. I do too. But recently I received one that made me wonder. It was from a seven-year old, and was fill in the blank. Dear ___. Thank you so much for the ___. From ___. Is this OK?
Thank you,
Thanked or Not?
Dear Thanked or Not
Mr Properly and I have received three of those cards this year, and upon receipt of the first one, I thought: "This is an abomination!"
Upon receipt of the second one, I thought a bit longer, since the shock had worn off. I asked myself a few questions: How old was the child who sent it? How long did it take him or her to write this? How well can a child write at the newly-turned age of six, anyway?
The clue was in the spelling. One letter was missing from each of our names, and one from his own. However, he did spell the word "Lego" correctly. * So I did a bit of research on when kids learn to write to better understand this growing trend.
According to a poll on Babycenter.com, babies learn to scribble by 15-months, so if you're not getting parent-written thank you notes with baby scribble by, say 16-months, be offended.
By the age of five, about 75% of kids can write their own names, so expect more elaborate scrawls (or drawings) and a child-written name, but again, a parent-written message.
And then we enter a grey area where fill-in-the-blank thank you cards seem to be filling a gap. These kids can write, a little.
I decided to go straight to the source and ask the mum who no doubt bought one of the cards we received. She said, "Ohmygosh these cards are the best. You can not imagine what an ordeal it is to get G. to write the 16 cards from this birthday alone! Each one takes almost five minutes. ** Wish I had thought of them and patented them myself."
Parents who put a priority on thank you notes should be applauded, even if their child can only manage six words per note. So let's cut them some slack, at least until they're eight. After that I'm sure you'll get descriptive missives about how your gifts have changed their lives.
* Another article for another time.
** In other words, the same amount of time it takes an adult to write a thank-you note.
I know how much you like thank you notes. I do too. But recently I received one that made me wonder. It was from a seven-year old, and was fill in the blank. Dear ___. Thank you so much for the ___. From ___. Is this OK?
Thank you,
Thanked or Not?
Dear Thanked or Not
Mr Properly and I have received three of those cards this year, and upon receipt of the first one, I thought: "This is an abomination!"
Upon receipt of the second one, I thought a bit longer, since the shock had worn off. I asked myself a few questions: How old was the child who sent it? How long did it take him or her to write this? How well can a child write at the newly-turned age of six, anyway?
The clue was in the spelling. One letter was missing from each of our names, and one from his own. However, he did spell the word "Lego" correctly. * So I did a bit of research on when kids learn to write to better understand this growing trend.
According to a poll on Babycenter.com, babies learn to scribble by 15-months, so if you're not getting parent-written thank you notes with baby scribble by, say 16-months, be offended.
By the age of five, about 75% of kids can write their own names, so expect more elaborate scrawls (or drawings) and a child-written name, but again, a parent-written message.
And then we enter a grey area where fill-in-the-blank thank you cards seem to be filling a gap. These kids can write, a little.
I decided to go straight to the source and ask the mum who no doubt bought one of the cards we received. She said, "Ohmygosh these cards are the best. You can not imagine what an ordeal it is to get G. to write the 16 cards from this birthday alone! Each one takes almost five minutes. ** Wish I had thought of them and patented them myself."
Parents who put a priority on thank you notes should be applauded, even if their child can only manage six words per note. So let's cut them some slack, at least until they're eight. After that I'm sure you'll get descriptive missives about how your gifts have changed their lives.
* Another article for another time.
** In other words, the same amount of time it takes an adult to write a thank-you note.
Here Is The Writer : Mr & Mrs Properly
Mr and Mrs Properly will never come to your home empty-handed. They hold doors for young and old alike, always say please and thank you (especially to each other), and try not to be judgemental when they witness bad manners. Their bookshelves feature works by Debrett's, Knigge, Miss Manners and Emily Post, and when they're bored, they write this column for Here Is The City while making dinner. Both work in the City.
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