Posted on: Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Sending a message in an e-bottle
| • | Thank-you notes help kids develop good manners |
Gannett News Service
What about thank-you notes via e-mail or a voice message?
"Generally speaking, the time you take to hand-write a thank-you note, get it stamped and get it in the mail is really the most sort of authentic or genuine kind of thank you," says Cindy Post Senning, author of "The Guide to Good Manners for Kids" (HarperCollins, $15.95) and co-director of the Vermont-based Emily Post Institute, which promotes etiquette education.
But an e-mail or telephone thank you is better than none at all, she adds. "Be sure the person you're sending it to really uses and checks her e-mail."
Many Web sites provide free e-card service, says Kevin Treu, an associate professor of computer science at Furman University.
"In recent years, this kind of thing has become so popular. And all of them also offer the chance for you to write your own message. They can be animated and have music.
Many children will find sending e-cards both fun and easy, says Treu, a father of four. "You can learn a lot of negative things from the Internet, but this is one of the positives if parents are interested."
