Texas Manners: A Look Into Politeness & Respect in Today’s Youth

Born in the state of Texas I know full well that I had better mind my manners because my father and mother taught me the proper way to communicate and act. I am not the least bit surprised to learn that Texas has the most polite children who have not good but rather great manners.

From the very first day when I learned to say the words mama and daddy I was also taught to say yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir, thank you, please, and you're welcome, to name a few manners that were instilled in me. Even more interesting is that my dad was very military and I had to add an extra "sir" to the response.

I learned the terms sir yes sir, sir no sir, sir no excuse sir, affirmative sir negative sir, you get the idea. I believe today's kids are not as polite as mine or my parents' generation. What is most interesting is that when I go to a rodeo here in Texas the kids there are the most polite young people in the world. why is that?

The internet game company "Solitaired" recently surveyed Americans about the behaviors they witness from children in their respective states and cities to determine which cities have the best and worst-behaved kids.

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While conducting the survey, 'Solitaired' learned that people of all ages tend to have rude behaviors. Nonetheless, the survey team discovered that most Americans view children as ruder than their generation in general. Below are some of the latest findings from the survey.

Kids' Rudest Behaviors in 2024:

1. Being on the phone (ignoring everyone)
2. Cursing
3. Playing videos or music too loud
4. Gossiping
5. Never making eye contact
6. Not saying hello
7. Ignoring everyone
8. Breaking and disobeying rules
9. Talking on the phone too loud
10. Talking back or smarting off

The rudest behaviors by age:

• Ages 5-8: making a mess, disobeying rules, not saying please or thank you
• Ages 9-12: being on the phone, playing videos/music too loud, not saying hello
• Ages 13-17: cursing, being on the phone, cursing, playing videos/music too loud

Who are our kids rudest to?

1. 44.5% - Parents
2. 28.4% - Strangers
3. 27.2% - Peers

Cities in Texas with the rudest kids (rudeness score 0-100)

• 92.5% - Fort Worth, Texas
• 84.4% -  Houston, Texas
• 75.7% -  Dallas, Texas
• 77.0% -  San Antonio, Texas
• 74.8% -  Austin' Texas

Other key findings:

• Dallas is the #6 city & Austin is the #5 city with the least rude kids in America
• San Antonio ranks #10 city with the most polite kids in America
• Fort Worth - unfortunately, ranks #5 city with the rudest kids in the U.S.
• 11% of residents see 5-8 year olds throwing a fit in public
• 21% of Texas residents see 9-12 year olds disobeying their parents
• 30% of residents see 13-17-year-olds not using basic Texas manners like 'please' and 'thank you'
• The worst-behaved age demographic in Texas? 13-17 year olds
  Source: Solitaired.com/cities-with-the-rudest-kids-2024

I strongly resonate with the sentiment echoed by many in the survey: children often display rudeness because we, as parents and adults, have inadvertently permitted such behavior to thrive. It's high time we take responsibility for instilling values of respect and civility in our youth.