THE question of courtesy, or the lack thereof, has been popping up recently in newspaper articles and comments heard on the streets. Usually, it is the elders bemoaning the lack of decorum exhibited by young people, especially schoolchildren.

“Dem ain got no manners,” one man complained, while a passer-by hearing this added, “An ya cyaan tell dem nutting, dey ready fuh buse ya and cuss ya out.”

Indeed, people from the ‘old school’ regularly comment that, ‘dis time na lang time’. Those born in the 1960s and 50s and earlier refer to a time when schoolchildren were far more orderly on their way to and from school. And any adult, friend, family member or stranger could have corrected them.

“Now ya dare not tell dem anything cause dey ready fuh tell ya how ya mudda mek ya,” said an outraged woman, who recounted how she had been subject to a stream of verbal abuse when she attempted to “pull up” a young girl.

“Ah been passing dis gyurl an she friend an if ya hear she language. Is like every odder word she cussin.” So, as a concerned parent, the woman admonished the girl, telling her there was no need for such language.

“Well she turn around and let me have it, tellin me why I doan mind mih so and so business. An she din dun deh. She carry on busing even tho me ain had nutting more fuh tell she!”

This is not an isolated event. I have witnessed young people ‘ cussing out’ older folks for little or no reason. Or simply being discourteous or disrespectful. As a child born in the 50s I know we, as schoolchildren, were well aware that any adult could correct us, and we had to ‘ mind our manners’ in response.

Generally we had to desist from any behaviour that adults found inappropriate, and if we were guilty of such, we had to pray that the person did not know our parents. Otherwise, a full report, sometimes embellished, would be made to our homes, and we would find ourselves facing a ‘good licking.’

Now, adults, whether they know the child or not, are fearful of correcting them and often just turn a ‘deaf ear’ or a ‘blind eye’ to raucous schoolchildren and their ‘colourful’ language.

“Me ain able fuh no chile cuss me out,” commented an elderly woman, ” so I doan tell dem nutting, I does jus go about mih business.”

But this should not be so. We need a return to those ‘old school’ ways, when children could be corrected by any adult at any time and accept this with good grace. Modern parents, many of whom were raised with these standards, need to pass them on to their children. The root cause of poor behaviour lies in the home; it does not originate in our schools. If we correct our children when they are rude or use indecent language, then they are unlikely to stray away from our teachings when on the streets.

Writing in The Conversation newsletter, Sophia Waters, a lecturer at the University of New England in the US, advised parents: “Modelling good manners around the home and in your interaction with others is obviously crucial.”

And an elderly man put a finer ‘point’ on this statement when he said, in local parlance, “Monkey see, monkey do.”

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.