Tips for Gracious Living

Ever since I was a little girl, my parents insisted I follow proper etiquette - both at home and in public. My mother enrolled me in a variety of classes (children's charm classes, ballroom dancing, and a department store modeling program) to help me learn what she wasn't able to teach me.

My dad was in the Air Force, and it was essential that I know and follow protocol when we lived on base. My parents were also from the South, so I had an extra dose of daily etiquette lessons to follow so I could be a proper Southern Belle. And then when we moved to Japan, I had the opportunity to learn proper manners from a different culture.

Here are some basic etiquette tips that I think everyone can easily follow:

• Good Manners for All Occasions
• Courtesy and Acts of Kindness
• Neighborhood Etiquette
• Conversation Etiquette
• Know How to Apologize
• Acknowledging Others
• RSVP
• Thank You Notes

Etiquette for your children:

• Teaching Your Children Basic Manners
• Teen Etiquette
• Preteen Etiquette
• Good Sportsmanship

Proper manners for eating at home and dining out:

• Table Manners
• How to Set a Table for a Formal Dinner
• How to Use Utensils
• Casual Dining
• Restaurant Etiquette FAQs