The Kindness of Polite Teenagers

"I place a high moral value on the way people behave.  I find it repellent to have a lot, and to behave with anything other that courtesy in the old sense of the word -- politeness of the heart, a gentleness of the spirit."
~ Fran Lebowitz

On a recent outing at the mall with one of my teenagers and a couple of her friends, we stopped by a popular bath and fragrance store.  I asked my daughter's friends if they wanted anything and they politely thanked me, said no and sounded as though they really meant it.  Only after several minutes of my daughter's encouraging them (more like insisting) did they finally each select something that cost less than $2.  And then, they graciously thanked me.  Listening to their conversation in the car afterward about mixing fragrances and experiments, I was especially thankful for polite young teenagers who can still enjoy simple things, don't seem to demand a lot and aren't in a hurry to grow up.