My little boy and I both woke up early this morning.

I get up early every morning, but this morning I had some company.

When I get up with Nate, my day is different in a good way.  We have some juice and I brew up some coffee for me…and we usually have something to eat, too.

When he asked for a yogurt, I realized that we’d already accomplished something good in his short life.

When he asked, he said “please”…and when I brought him his yogurt, he said “thank you”.

That’s not so earth-shaking a thing in a lot of people’s eyes…but it’s a pretty big deal if you think about what it does for a child and his or her future.

To give a child the ability to honestly express courtesy and gratitude for the things that people do for them sets them up for a lifetime of being appreciated in return by the people doing them the kindness.

Manners are a big deal.  More than anything…more than socioeconomic factors, or physical strength, or the ability to play the banjo really well…to be able to say “please” and “thank you” covers a lot of good ground.

Nate doesn’t understand what a salad fork is at this point…or when to bow….or why he’d need to cross a t….but I was proud and pleased that he knew how to be polite.

It is a pleasure to get up early with him while everyone else is sleeping.