An 8-year-old at the baseball game concession line says: Look at that girl, Daddy. Is that her real hair?
Message to the bride on an answering machine: Hello Crystal, this is Be Be, I realize the invitation said me and one guest, but is it ok if I bring my kids to the wedding?
Dining with your boyfriend, his cousin says to his date: Oh, you know you don’t need another piece of pie!
While with your first grader at the school office: You are glowing, when is the baby due?
Busted! Find a rock, enter at bottom level.
Either you have done it, or an embarrassing circumstance presents itself with you at the center of the spotlight. You have either said too much or have become speechless. Sometimes you can actually feel the metamorphosis of your skin changing color or experience an out-of-body crawl into a proverbial hole.
At this fork, you can take one of two avenues.
Your first alternative is to find a broom to clean up the faux pas (false move). Or secondly (and most popular), you could sweep it up under the rug.
Make a choice. The first path will cause you to babble on, and the second is an utter denial of the offense.
There is a third option, though. It is rarely used for good. But for the sake of good ole time manners, you could LIE.
Tell a little harmless lie, because honesty and high moral standards give us the inclination to simply “save face” when a situation has the audacity to arise from under the carpet.
Let’s look at the first offense. A kid said it. That is the answer already. Children are automatically entitled to the truth without consequences. Tonya likes to say, “Yes, it’s my hair, I bought it!” Answer the child discreetly with humor.
Second. This is THE big day for the groom and bride. Invitations to a wedding are an honor given to you, to provide details of the event, right down to the number of participants expected. In short, what you’re asking for is your personal preference at the wedding, yet what you may get is a personal omission. Its best to let the bride and groom dictate the atmosphere of their Big Day.
Third. The cousin was blatantly rude to outwardly disregard other person’s feelings in front of other people. With empathy, you feel embarrassed. When witnessing a vulgar offense, its best to quickly change the subject to something positive and direct it at the offended person. This allows the offended person to refocus; then by deviating from the topic you are diverting attention away from the offender.
Finally, how does one back peddle gracefully? You use your skills to navigate around the rocks. When, not if, you say something that necessitates an apology, do it!
Apologize, then lie to blame your faux pas on someone giving you wrong information. Say, “Oh Jodi, I’m so sorry Gloria said she saw you shopping in the infant department at Target.”
Remove rock, climb out.
Mannerisms LLC, www.mannerismsllc.net 636 398-manr (6267)