No thanks

I am perplexed. I was taught by my mom to "always write a thank you note or express verbal thanks to the giver" whenever I received a gift — for birthday, Christmas, birth of baby, wedding or shower, etc. All my friends are now married and have grown-up children, so the gifts I'm taking are for grandchildren of friends, wedding/baby showers for younger women at church who are acquaintances or dinner for church women who are homebound due to illness or pregnancy.

After giving 50 or 60 gifts like this, I could count on my right hand the number of times I've been thanked either by card, phone or verbally. All of them were women above 50. Send Flowers to Delhi and avail Discount from Delhi Online Gifts.Although I give because I want to, I'm just wondering if an entire generation from 16 to 40 years of age has missed a "courtesy lesson" of simply saying "thanks," or have I missed out on a revolution in appropriate manners?

You haven't missed anything, and yes, all of us should be offering thanks for gifts we receive. I'm good at the verbal part and am genuinely thankful to dear friends for their thoughtfulness in giving gifts. However, in recent years, I have not been as good at the written notes part, although I'm working on it. I always want to take my time to write the perfect note. Then time slips away.The age group you mentioned is extremely busy — whether they have school activities or are juggling children and a career, a lot competes for their attention. Although that is not an excuse, it may offer an explanation.