As I get older, I realize I am retaining some of the old fashioned values I grew up with. Stuff I never cared about matters a lot now that I have a few years of marriage under my belt and have experienced motherhood. I am not exceptionally conservative but these are the trends in social etiquette, particularly with name usage, that leave me a bit peeved:
-If a woman is out and about with two small babies and her wedding ring on, it is not polite to call her 'miss.' It infers something I don't appreciate. For me, words still have a deep connotation and by calling me 'miss' you are implying I am an unwed mother. The term 'ms.' is there if one is unsure. I get that the term miss can be a back handed compliment to say that someone looks young...but not when I am out with my kiddos.
-If I am in the store and I encounter a cashier that refers to me by my first name it really bugs me. Just because you can read my name on my debit card does not mean I know you in a familiar way. I don't know you so don't talk to me as if you do. I have no problem with people utilizing my last name and saying 'Ms. Guddat' but I am not your buddy so using my first name purports a false intimacy.
-I don't like when kids automatically assume they can call me by my first name. Out of respect please call me Mrs. Guddat, Miss Joleen, or something that connotes I am viewed with respect. If the 'kid' in question is a teenager I normally tell them to just call me Joleen anyways but I appreciate parents that teach their children the basic sentiment to ask whether it is okay.
So am I a total old-fashioned codger at the age of 29? Does this type of stuff bug you? What are your pet peeves?
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