Thank You Notes

I had a birthday last month, and as I usually do, wrote thank you notes to friends and family for the thoughtful birthday gifts I received.

I am always surprised when I get a thank you note (in this case, e-mail) for the thank you note. Are they so unusual anymore? Of course none of us write letters like we used, to but I wonder if I really am the exception.

I was raised to write thank you notes! Every December, some time between Christmas and New Year’s Day, my mother would force us to sit at the kitchen table and write our thank you notes before we could continue our Christmas break. The same rules applied for birthdays. As much as I used to gripe about it, I am glad that I still have that habit today.

What about you? What habits are you trying to instill in your children?