“Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners” - Anonymous

I just got off the phone with a tile contractor who must have had a really bad morning. I couldn't believe how rude he was, and how he could get away with this behavior on a daily basis (others have said the same about him, so it's not just me).

The whole episode reminded me of my son’s Back-to-School Night where new and returning parents met the teacher, learned about the curriculum, and where one parent in particular took over the podium to pontificate on how his child was better than ours and asked, “is there an advanced class for first graders?” What??

What he needed was a manual on how to treat people, which I happen to have on my bookshelf. Of all the books I have read in my lifetime, the one that I will never forget is Robert Fulgham’s All I Ever Needed To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. For those who have never read it, here are some useful pointers, for adults and children alike:

• Share everything
• Play fair
• Don't hit people
• Put things back where you found them
• Clean up your own mess
• Don't take things that aren't yours
• Say sorry when you hurt somebody

Perhaps I'll slip a copy into the mail for the contractor and one into the pompous parent's hands. Think they’ll get the hint?