Yes Sir
 

When I was growing up we were taught to say "Yes sir", "No sir", "Yes ma'am" & "No ma'am" when speaking with our elders.

I teach my children the same thing but this appears to be a dying practice.

Does anyone else still teach or practice these things.

I, myself, say Yes sir... etc when speaking to my elders or anyone even close to being an elder. I think it is a good thing and I am sad to see it leave our society in practice.

Re: Yes Sir
 

I still do also. Making my daughter do it is like pulling teeth. Few teens who come home with her give that respect, but some do.

Funny thing though, when a boy comes a knocking for her, it is all about the sir's and ma'am's.

They fool the wife.

Not me.

Re: Yes Sir
 

So... as it turns out...you are not only respectful... but wise. :)

Re: Yes Sir
 

Yes sir. :tease

I do use sir and maam. I also refer to people as Miss so and so. I don't do it for men though for some reason. My children always hear me refer to people as Miss though. And they hear yes sir and yes maam often. I don't actually require it, but they do say it because they hear it. :)

This has been one very, very nice thing about moving to Texas. I'm not looked at strange when I refer to someone as Miss Donna or Miss Linda. It's normal-ish here. In Idaho, wow...lol I'd get some strange looks for it. But I didn't care. I wanted my kids growing up hearing that and grasping the idea of respect, not just for elders but for all people.

What I think is funny is that the whole sister/brother thing makes me almost crazy. I use those words for very, very few people in combination with their names.

Re: Yes Sir
 

Yes ma'am...

Being Texas born & Texas bred I can vouch for the "normality" of the yes sir/yes ma'am way of thinking.

Cowboys wear their hats but those hats get tipped when a lady is addressed.

Just a simple nod coupled with the utterance of a simple "ma'am" is sufficient... but proper recognition of ladies & elders is the way of the south. Especially in Texas.

:)

Re: Yes Sir
 

we say it and taught our kids to say it...

Re: Yes Sir
 

No one says "Hey Yo!" anymore?

Re: Yes Sir
 

It was and is still required in our family.

Re: Yes Sir
 

It doesn't seem to be that way up North in Minnesorta and Wisconsin, but I was raised a polite Texas boy. Now that we are back living in the South, Louisiana, we hear it all the time.

Re: Yes Sir
 

I use it regularly and have had folks refer to me as "Sir" or "Mr. Davidson" often and I'm 31. I guess I look old to some folks.

When telemarketers or bill collectors call, they sometimes ask if they can call me by my first name. Politely with firmness I tell them, "Mr. Davidson" is fine.

The foreigners usually revert to "Sir" at that point. :)

Re: Yes Sir
 

Yes/No Sir/Ma'am isn't common in the North. I like it though and I use it some when addressing pastors and those who I hold in respect.

Re: Yes Sir
 

Yes, we still do this. My kids were taught to say it. The Boy Scouts were great, in our area, for teaching the boys to be polite and respect their elders. I always liked my son being in Boy Scouts.

Re: Yes Sir
 

I have taught my sons to speak in complete sentences.

When the dentist asks them how they are doing..

They are not to say, Fine.

They are to make a complete sentence.

Such as... Dr. it has been a busy day but a fun day. So all in all I am doing fine...

It just helps them be more outgoing and look more respectful....

Re: Yes Sir
 

I am called "Mr <last name>" all day, but then again I work in a school........

Re: Yes Sir
 

I was raised in the North, and we didn't do that. But my husband is a Southerner, and that was the way it was supposed to be. So that is how we raise our children. When they speak to other adults, they ALWAYS use Sir and Ma'am. Because of that, they are very respected and liked by just about every adult we come into contact with. We always hear things like, "Your kids are so polite" and "You have such good kids!"

Simple manners goes a LONG way.

On rare occasion, we'll come across a person who doesn't like being called "Sir" but usually it is an enlisted guy, LOL. We mention that for us, it is manners, and then they are fine with it. :-)

Re: Yes Sir
 

I would be happy if everyone simply said 'please' and 'thank you'.

But that's just me........

Re: Yes Sir
 

I'm from the North and live in the North. I most always us the terms. I use them on the phone and I use them when at home. I've found out that politeness/kindness and a smile will open doors which are locked to others. A true servant has more authority than a froward king! :D

Re: Yes Sir
 

We sure do... I was never allowed to call an adult by their first name.... It was Sir and Ma'am for us also... it is that way for my children also.... I can't tell you how many times I have been complimented on their behavior because they speak with respect to adults.... my children are 11, 10, and 6 and they all say "yes sir" or yes "ma'am"....

I was yelled at once though....... I was at work and I an older man was asking me for help.... I referred to him as "sir" and he yelled at me not to ever call him sir again.... I was 18 and didn't understand.... He still came around the store I was in and I found out that he had been in Vietnam and had been seriously injured there.... He never fully recovered.... He had a bad speek problem and I was one of the few that tried to take the time to understand him.... Sad....


Hey, I have noticed that when people really want to sell you something, they use Sir and Ma'am...... lol!

Re: Yes Sir
 

Where I was raised in Illinois, NO ONE did this. My uncle in Georgia used to make my cousins say "Sir" and Ma'am" and we thought it was because they were a military family. LOL! I remember once a girl moved to our little town from the south and the first time she answered a teacher "Yes sir", they yelled at her for being smart-aleck. She didn't know what had hit her!

I had a hard time teaching my kids to say "Sir" and Ma'am" because it was not the way I grew up and it doesn't come natural for me either. We also called all adults by their first names, unless it was a doctor or preacher. Down here, everyone would call me "Miss Sherri" whether Iwas single or married.

Re: Yes Sir
 

This is a southern practice for the most part. I raised my children to be respectful of others and address adults as sir or ma'am. They would be corrected harshly if they did not do so. I am fifty something and I still use the terms. I can not tolerate rudeness in young people that do not address me with the term of ma'am. To me it shows a lack of respect. Generally speaking I think that showing respect to others is quickly fading away. Sad times!