Please and thank you. Three syllables that make things go just a little easier. I was taught from an early age to use these words, and I’m sure some of you reading this post were taught as well. Now that I’m grown and working with children, part of me is shocked how often their parents don’t reinforce the use of these words. Parents my age are too busy with their cell phones to help teach these simple way to be polite. In fact, sometimes I wonder if being polite is going the way of the dodo, but that’s a topic for another time.

So why is please and thank you so important? Part of it is because it helps the people around you know that you care for more than just yourself. Please comes from plesen or plaisen in middle english, plaisir in middle french, and placere in latin. The meaning is to please, as in “may it please you.” The origin of the word please is based on others needs or wants. You are not demanding that someone do something for you, but instead asking if they would be willing to do something for you.

When others do something for you, it makes sense to thank them for taking time out of their lives to help you in some way.  Thank you or thanks comes from thanken in middle english and danken in german and dutch. It’s an acknowledgment that you now think favorably of them and are grateful for what they did.

When we acknowledge other people’s efforts, they will be more likely to offer their help in the future. That, in turn, helps you build a support system that you can depend on. In this day and age that is something that would benefit anybody, regardless of social status or income. All because of three little syllables.