Etiquette

I was walking along the beach Monday morning awed by the souvenirs the weekend masses left behind. The parking lot was full of garbage people obviously didn’t want to put in their car, while along the beach melon rinds, food wrappers and baby diapers lay mere feet from the trash cans. In the distance were the county tractors scraping the sand of debris close to the water.

When I got home and opened the Metro section to the article on “Moppet Manners,” where parents are sending their children to learn basic etiquette, I thought: “What is wrong with our society?” You quote a woman who “jokes”: “My child is an animal. He’s never met a utensil he likes. He eats with his hands.” Isn’t it part of parents’ job criteria to teach their children the codes of good social behavior? The joke is that we may have already lost a few generations to more than bad manners. I fear for our future.

KATHY WEBER

Santa Monica

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* I read your article with interest--all the while thinking, “Isn’t it great that children are learning manners at an early age.” I was enjoying my breakfast while reading your article and then, to my horror, realized that I (at 50 years of age) had my elbows on the table! We are never too old to learn, either.

ABBY KATZ

Santa Barbara