I remember so many times when I was growing up in rural Indiana, one of my parents (or even grandparents) would ask, “Did you thank him?” They drilled into my head that I owed someone a word of thanks if I were given something or if I were told something special. I suspect that I did not fully appreciate what they were doing for me. I am sure they were teaching me this lesson long before I could register what they actually were doing. I know with my own kids and, now with grandkids, I am watching that age-old lesson being taught. No doubt, the kids are too young really to grasp why saying “thanks” is all that important. I know when I was young I was just happy to get a gift. I am sure I was driven by pure self-interest. In a one or two-year old, that is normal and fine. But learning to say “thanks” is an ea...