Welcome to Ask Ms. Deborah

Hey Ya’ll….. I am so excited to welcome you to this part of my blog. I am offering up some Southern advice for those easy or hard questions that you have been pondering for quite some time. Mind you, I might not know all the answers but I am willing to share my Southern state of grace and charm that has helped me through many of my life’s experiences and challenges.

For instance, here’s my top ten basic manners or common courtesies that are a must in the South.

1. Be Humble. There is no need to be walking into any home, office or building with your nose in the air blocking anyone’s light. Being uppity or selfish will get you no where fast.
2. Say Please and Thank you.  If you are requesting anything, please be mindful of the way that you ask for such request by saying “please” and always being grateful by saying “thank you”.
3. Be Modest. There is no reason for any of us to see your party bits, nooks and grannies or whatever you want to call them.  Please keep your body contained in the appropriate garments and be mindful of the event that you are attending.
4. Keep your word. If you make a promise, you better keep it. You always want your reputation to proceed you in a good way and not in a bad way, so keep those promises.
5. Mind Your Business.  Trust me, a small Southern town has been known to hear quite a bit with regards to their neighbors.  However, if it ain’t your circus or your monkeys or if you have not been ask to help, please respect their privacy.
6. Say Ma’am or Sir. In the South, our parents and grandparents beat us with a switch of our choice on how to appropriately address adults and seniors. Mind you and out of habit, that phase has rolled off our lips to our peers or young adults.  If someone says Yes or No Ma’am/Sir to you, it means they were brought up with manners and have respect for you. It is not to be taken as an insult, so please do not take it that way.
7. Be Courteous and Kind. Being courteous and kind should come easy, but with the hustle and bustle of the world today, it has been lost. Please go out of your way to helpful. Hold a door for someone, smile and say hello to a stranger are just a few things that can be done to make your day and someone else’s as well.
8. Behave! If you don’t want someone to pierce your soul and place you in a jar way back in a shed, then do not under any circumstances make a fool of yourself in someone’s home or in a public setting.
9. Don’t touch the TV Remote!  You might think this is silly that I am even discussing this scenario but it has happen. If the TV is off, don’t turn it on. If the TV is on a particular channel, don’t change it and don’t ask to change it. P.S. This little advice is for all those husbands that so desperately want to change the channel to watch sports because their wives have drove them to a party and are missing the game.
10. Chivalry. I truly believe that most women (I say most) want to be treated like a lady. In the South, its a must for a gentleman to hold the door, pull out a chair or stand for their ladies when they are entering or leaving a room. That is such an honor and I will take that all day long.

If you have any ideas for me to blog about or again, any questions, please feel free to email me at askmsdeborah@outlook.com.  I look forward to hearing from ya’ll! Until next time, don’t bang the screen door or let the flies in on your way out.