rude children are a product of dumb parents........

At a Christmas party during the gift exchange a teenage girl opened her gift and said, "Ugh, this is an old person's gift."   It was an organizer/agenda.  Granted not something for a teenager, but it was a gift draw and no one's names were on any of the gifts.  I was there with my daughter, as soon as I heard this young lady make that rude statement I looked directly at my daughter.  She looked at me in shock like, "What did I do?"  I was looking at her as if to say, "I know YOU know better!"  When we talked about the incident later she told me how wrong she thought it was and why. So I was satisfied that I did the right job.
Later at the same party there was a teenage boy.  He was around 17. When I came in and spoke to him I asked why he had his hat on. Thinking that my question would jog something in him and he would remove it in the home of these people he was a guest of .  These people who are clearly reserved and believe in good manners.  But, it didn't. He just said he needed a haircut...so since he wasn't mine, I left it alone.  Later during the party one of the older ladies asked him, "Is it raining in here?"  He said (confused), "No."  She wasn't going to give up as easily as I did.  Then she said, "Well are you trying to make sure your head doesn't fly away?"  He still looked dumbfounded.  To help him out and relieve the tension between him and the lady I said, "She's trying nicely to tell you to take your hat off in the house."  He said, "Oh" BUT STILL DIDN'T TAKE IT OFF!!!....His sister snatched it off his head.  He still said that same thing about his hair not being done and then put his HOOD ON!!! (still inappropriate)...I just shook my head.
I shook my head at the fact that this young man doesn't know the simplest of manners. MEN TAKE YOUR HAT OFF IN THE HOUSE.  I shook my head at the fact that he didn't immediately correct himself when an adult told him he was wrong.  But, mostly I shook my head at the fact that his mother was RIGHT THERE, and did not correct her own child.  I mean she'll do everything else for him, teach him to drive, find low cost insurance for him as an at risk driver, let him drive to his prom, etc....But, she can't teach him how to be a gentleman???? I mean seriously?
It is a JOB as a parent to teach your children basic life skills.  Now why taking your hat off inside someone's home may not be as important as "please and thank you" where do you start if not at the simplest of things?  They are our future and if you aren't sharpening their basic then they'll become as "dull" as you obviously are.