Please and Thankyou...what more could a girl want?

In these fast paced days we live in, racing around to get our kids here and there, It seems having and placing value on good manners has somehow been lost. Is it that were just to busy to make small talk and to say please and thank you? Because of my injury I am making friends with a lot of elderly people. When I am at good old saturday morning water aerobics, or when I am walking as slow as a snail on the treadmill, I am hangin with the oldies everywhere! I feel like I am gaining a vault of wisdom and insight. I have gotten so many great tips on gardening, crochet, sewing, cleaning, and most of all how to raise quality individuals. I can't believe how much these old folks seem to have it right. I realize I am an old fashioned gal in so many ways. One of these ways is understanding the value of good manners. It is such a rarity. I want my boys to be made of the same quality stuff as my husband is. They have won half the battle because they have such a good role model to look up to. I don't know anyone who is a harder worker than my hubs; A quality I think is amazing. I have been really trying to indroduce the idea of manners and politeness to the boys and it has been the cutest thing...Ok so Dyl still has terrible manners. He yells in everyones face, throws food and does other not so good mannerish type things, I am hoping as he gets older we can work on it. But I cant believe how much Arlo is soaking it all up. Sometimes we think politeness is just something people should know, but the thing is they dont, heck I have realized that my manners are just appauling half of the time. We have all been working on it and it has been the cutest thing. I have basically been refusing to do or get anything for anyone unless they phrase it correctly. I absolutely love hearing "Mom, may I have a snack please?" it just sounds like music to my ears. So does "Thank you for dinner Mom, may I be excused?" Which is now a requirement before leaving the table. I also love to hear Arlo responding to people in a courteous manner. He has really been working on this one. He is a shy little guy so it can be hard for him at times, but after I explained that the polite way to respond to someone greeting you is to look them in the eye and respond with a strong and loud voice, he has been doing it! I also explained it is always polite to ask how they are doing back. Yesterday when we went to school, with no prompting by me, he looked a teacher who greeted him at the door right in the eye and told her he was doing good, and asked how she was. She was completely taken off guard. It was the cutest thing ever! I cant believe how far this polite umbrella goes. It works with backtalk, which is really hard to do while being polite, sharing and cooperating with friends, which are both polite things to do. The polite list is endless. I am having a good time with this. I cant believe how much hearing please and thankyou makes a mom feel...