Last month my daughter was in her element hosting a friend’s bridal shower. The event was perfect and everyone had a great time. Unfortunately, there were several “No Shows.” Some guests had RSVP’d and, for whatever reason known to them, did not come or bother to cancel.
It appears that this is a frequent occurrence. I was reminded of an intern who hosted a dinner party for several mentors and their families. He prepared a gourmet meal on a grad student’s budget and one family didn’t show up. I later learned the reason—the wife didn’t like one of the other wives.
Rather than comment about this lack of etiquette, I am giving the rest of this article over to my daughter’s post-shower Facebook post (with capital letters).
“I hereby declare that I will always RSVP if you invite me somewhere. I will also let you know as soon as possible if my RSVP changes. If the lack of common courtesy is a result of my generation being too obsessed with themselves, too busy taking selfi es to let a person know….then I am really disappointed in us and the parents that exhibit or allow this rude behavior! WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE? For real.
“And if you do RSVP and then change your mind at the last minute, think about the reason that you can’t come…. Repeat it out loud three times and then think if you would want that response turned back on you. Ask yourself. Is what I have to do more important than your (insert event here)? IT IS NOT HARD TO BE POLITE! PEOPLE REMEMBER THINGS FOREVER!”
As a parent, I’m proud she feels this way.
