i was never taught to send thank you notes or make thank you phone calls as a child - in fact i think i was about 14 before it even occurred to me that people did this.
we only ever thanked if given something face to face.
my auntie and uncle sent chocolate bars to us every single week when we were little, given through my dad... and i dont think we ever said thanks when we next saw her - perhaps we did - if told to - but we were little and just didnt occur to us.
i dont know whether my auntie was upset by this - i doubt it...she knew we were little...but still.
not sure why my m&d didnt think this an important lesson to learn.
strangely though, when me and my sister worked in my mums shop we were exceptionally polite, always said please, thank you, bye etc to the customers - more than my mum did.... but unusual for 17 year olds these days i think.
i think its one of those things that people should make their kids do from a young age to instill the idea of showing gratitude and being grateful - and not to just expect to be given things ... to understand that being given a gift is not a right, but a kind gesture and deserves acknowledgement