Dear Blake,
It seems the children I raised and taught to write thank-you notes somehow failed to teach their children the importance of being grateful receivers. My two teenage grandchildren have never thanked me for a birthday or Christmas gift. I gave one of them a set of personalized notepaper, but it didn’t spur any action. Birthdays have come and gone this year, but Christmas is on the way. I’m wondering what I can do to reach these young people in a meaningful manner. I’m older now and don’t know how much longer I’ll be around to influence them. What do you think I should do?
Signed, Martha
From Columbia, South Carolina
* * * * * * * *
Dear Martha,
I’m sorry to hear that your grandchildren aren’t responding the way you want them to. Your desire for a handwritten note, also suggests to me that you think it’s 1918 instead of 2018. Initially I was going to tell you to tell them to send you a text, but I think it’s more likely that you only have a landline, if not Morse Code. If you really want to see their signature on something, give them a blank check. And in return, you’ll get that memento at the end of the month, along with a bank statement showing you are way over drawn. It’s also possible that your children didn’t pass it down because they thought it was a stupid idea. So you shouldn’t hold it against your grandchildren because your own offspring doesn’t want to pass down what they feel is an idiotic tradition. But there is a simple way to eliminate this problem. Under the assumption that you were giving them cash as a gift, I would suggest that you stop. Considering you’re from South Carolina, your age, and your old fashioned ideas, you should keep your funds. Besides most stores and businesses do not accept Confederate money. I hope this helps.
Blake