Dear Amy

Dear Stuie,
That is a difficult question to answer. We can never truly know why people act the way they do.

Perhaps some people do not feel that something intangible requires a thank you.

It may be, as you said, that proper manners are dying out. How many people write thank you notes for gifts, these days? We try to teach our children, but who knows whether these lessons will sink in, or whether they'll generalize to other areas of life.

And it may also be that there are as many reasons for this lack of etiquette as there are people who are lacking.

We certainly can't force a thank you from someone (well, perhaps from our children, but that's a different story!) . . . but we can take from that experience as we move forward. Perhaps it means giving less freely. Perhaps it means learning not to expect as much from people, but continuing to give with an open heart. I think it's a lesson that will have a different outcome for each person.