Rules of Civility

Show Nothing to your Friend that may affright him.

Kids like to freak each other out. They quickly learn how fun it can be to jump out suddenly from behind a corner or hide a garden snake in a classmate’s lunchbox. As adults they will learn that good relationships are built on trust. If you can’t trust your friends, who can you trust?  Yet pranks and practical jokes still happen all around us, in the movies, at home, or at the office, and they usually take place between friends. Though no harm may be intended, pranks and practical jokes can undermine trust.

Webster’s Dictionary defines a practical joke as ‘a prank intended to trick or embarrass someone or cause physical discomfort.’ Your friend may seem game for a laugh at his or her own expense, but you have no control over the way your actions will be received. Even the most harmless prank may be deeply hurtful to someone. To protect your friendships, it may be best to avoid practical jokes altogether.

Frank Manners articles address the 110 “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation,” by which George Washington lived and present them in an applicable fashion, both for you, and your children.