Life /
Etiquette in a Store and Market Queues in Poland [146]
my mother in law barks in Polish. Or rather issues commands.
anyway, I can relate another personal story. We have a place at the seaside where we go on the weekends. Last week end a few of our neighbours were around having a few drinks and a couple from Gdynia said to both me and my husband on separately how wonderful and polite my children are. It was embarrassing after 15 minutes of listening to them go on and on about my kids.
Politeness and manners are taught. And Polish children, in my opinion, and generally speaking- not a blanket statement, are not taught that manners are important. I cringe when I hear bratty children "nie chce or ja chce". Of course, not all Polish children are like this but many many are. And this is included in my husbands family.
When I hear Polish people say please and thank you it sounds like part of a demand or a command. There is nothing genuine about it. Perhaps this is a language or a cultural difference but I can tell you that in Canada and the UK, please and thank you is common and not barked.
A little politeness goes a long way.
