Everyday Graces

by Santorum, Karen

• ISBN13: 9781932236095
• ISBN10: 1932236090
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-10-01
• Publisher: Isi Books

Summary

In Everyday Graces: A Child's Book of Good Manners, Karen Santorum has produced for parents and teachers a wonderfully rich and instructive anthology. Her volume speaks to the regrettable fact that the subject of manners is not much discussed anymore, and good manners seem practiced even less. Yet, good manners are a prerequisite for the growth of moral character; they are the habits of conduct and behavior by which we express in the most ordinary circumstances our fundamental respect for others, whether parents, friends, colleagues, or strangers. It is evident, then, that when we fail to instill good manners in our youth we invite a decline of civility and a coarsening of our common life. Under such headings as "Honor Your Mother and Father", "Please and Thank You", "No Hurtful Words", "Good Behavior in Sport",and "Showing Respect for Country",Mrs. Santorum has arranged a collection of stories and poems that will develop and enrich the moral imagination. Some of her selections are well known; others are forgotten gems that deserve a new hearing. Authors include Hans Christian Anderson, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, Frances Hodgson Burnett, M. Montgomery, C. S. Lewis, Max Lucado and Arnold Lobel, to name only a few. Karen Santorum writes that this anthology "grew out of the frustration of not being able to find a book on manners that instructs through stories rather than by rules of dos and don'ts." Each of her selections has been tried and tested on her own children, and each is introduced and concluded by her own thoughtful commentary. The result is an informality and intimacy that is inviting and infectious. Everyday Graces will be useful both as a bedside book and as a reference for home, school, and church library.

Author Biography

Karen Santorum is one of twelve children. By profession, she is both a nurse and attorney.  She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and worked for several years in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Her Juris Doctorate degree is from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where she was a Law Review member. She is the author of the acclaimed book, Letters to Gabriel.

 

Karen is married to United States Senator, Rick Santorum, and they have seven children, Elizabeth Anne, Richard John, Daniel James, Gabriel Michael (deceased), Sarah Maria, Peter Kenneth, and Patrick Francis.  Her greatest role and love in life is being a full time mother at home.  According to Karen, "There is no greater joy in life than to be a mother. It is the most important job I will ever have."

Table of Contents

FOREWORD
by Joe Paterno	xi
N0TE T0 PARENTS
from Karen Santorum	xiii
I. GOOD MANNERS AT HOME
1. Honor Your Mother and Father	3	(16)
2. Helping Out at Home	19	(10)
3. Loving Your Family	29	(6)
4. Loving Your Home	35	(10)
II. USING WORDS WISELY
1. Please, Thank You, and Other Kind Words	45	(14)
2. Taming the Tongue	59	(22)
3. Telling the Truth	81	(8)
III. TABLE MANNERS
1. Be Considerate at the Table	89	(18)
2. Eat in Moderation and Be Generous to Others	107	(12)
3. Appreciate What You Are Served	119	(8)
4. Setting the Table	127	(12)
IV. WASHING AND DRESSING
1. Washing	139	(6)
2. Dressing	145	(18)
V. APPRECIATING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES	163	(16)
VI. CARING FOR THE ELDERLY AND SICK
1. Befriending the Elderly	179	(8)
2. Caring for the Sick	187	(24)
VII. OUT AND ABOUT: GETTING ALONG WITH OTHERS
1. Visiting Other Peoples Homes	211	(14)
2. Seeing the Good in People	225	(12)
3. Celebrating Your Friends' Successes	237	(10)
4. Helping Each Other	247	(10)
5. Good Ways to Lose Friends	257	(18)
VIII. GOOD MANNERS IN SCHOOL
1. Working Hard	275	(8)
2. Classroom Courtesy	283	(24)
IX. GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP	307	(12)
X. WRITING LETTERS AND INVITATIONS
1. Letters	319	(10)
2. Invitations	329	(10)
XI. CHURCH, WEDDINGS, AND FUNERALS
1. Church	339	(4)
2. Weddings	343	(4)
3. Funerals	347	(10)
XII. KINDNESS TOWARDS ANIMALS	357	(14)
XIII. RESPECTING OUR COUNTRY
1. Good Citizenship	371	(6)
2. Respecting the American Flag	377	(4)
Acknowledgments	381	(2)
Permissions	383	(2)
Index of Titles	385