In the News
Family Dinners vs. Prison?
Starkville woman takes etiquette to high school camp
10 Most Memorable "Wife Swap" Episodes
Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Britney!
Face Booking At 49
Keeping Up With The Jone's- Christmas Card Style
Cell Phones- Our New Addictions Part 2
Cell Phones- Our New Addiction
"Wife Swap" shakes up Starkville Household
ABC Announces Wife Swap Premiere
Not a Key Party
"Wife Swap" Family Finds New Fame after National TV Appearance
Good Manners Begin with Using "Wonderful Words"
Steppin' Out Getting Real
Job Interviews:
Keeping the Stress Levels Down
News article published in North MS Christian Magazine and Metro Christian Living Magazine by Lydia Allison
Looking for a job, writing a resume, and interviewing, can be a stressful and anxiety producing experience. Being prepared and organized is important and can contribute to an educational, exciting and rewarding job search with less stress. There will probably be a good amount of competition for the job you are seeking. After you have been granted an interview with a potential employer, you will want to do everything you can do to stand out from the crowd and be noticed. Your goal is to demonstrate how your knowledge and experiences can benefit your potential employer. Simply, you are going to be marketing yourself. Here is a guide to job interviewing to help you accomplish your goal and to successfully land the job you desire.
1. Once you have been invited for a personal interview you will need to prepare. You will want to research the company to know as much as you can about the company and the position you are applying for. This will show the potential employer that you are eager and enthusiastic about working for them.
2. Analyze your background, educational accomplishments, and past career accomplishments. Make sure you can match your work/educational experiences towards the company’s needs. Think of 2-3 of your top selling points (to sell yourself) and be ready to share them during the interview.
3. Review a list of questions that the interviewer might ask and write out how you would answer them.
4. Review a list of questions (write them out) that you might ask the employer at the interview.
5. Select the proper wardrobe for your interview. Never underestimate what dressing up will do for you. If interviewing for a professional position, you will want to wear a tailored suit that is conservative in color- navy, black, and brown, tan. Ladies should stay away from lacy, sexy (cleavage showing) blouses and skirts should be no higher than 3 inches above the knee. Closed toe medium to low heeled pumps are suggested. Men (also wear a tailored suit), need to make sure their tie comes down to their belt and shoes and belt colors should match. If you are applying for a labor position, for men, nice pants and a buttoned downed collar shirt is appropriate with neat, clean shoes. Hair for both men and women for all positions should be clean, neat and controlled. Ladies should not overdo their make-up or jewelry.
6. Brush up on your table manners and dining etiquette just in case you are taken out for a meal during the interview. Many decisions for a job are made based on a person’s table manners. You are ready for the interview. You have one chance to “sell yourself” so you won’t want to blow it. When arriving for the interview:
7. Make sure your cell phone/beeper is off. Do not chew gum, smoke or use slang expressions or curse words.
8. Have a copy of your resume at hand, smile and try to relax.
9. Always arrive early. Go out of your way to greet receptionists.
10. Shake hands firmly (women – do this too)! A firm handshake communicates confidence and respect. Introduce yourself and greet the interviewer by their last name. Maintain eye contact.
11. Use good manner words- yes sir, yes ma’am, please, thank you; you’re welcome, etc…
12. Wait until you are offered a chair to sit. Have good posture and sit with both feet on the floor.
13. Act interested, show enthusiasm, follow the interviewers lead. Try to get the interviewer to describe the job responsibilities early in the interview so that you can explain your skills, background and accomplishments.
14. Highlight your achievements. Make sure your good characteristics come across to the interviewer in a genuine manner.
15. Answer questions in a thoughtful way with explanations as much as possible, not with a yes or no answer.
16. Never lie. Be truthful and frank.
17. Find out when the employer is expecting to make a hiring decision. This should be one of the questions you ask the company.
18. Sincerely thank the interviewer for the opportunity to interview and shake hands.
19. Always write a hand written or typed thank you note no more than 24 hours after the interview. Writing thank you notes make a big impact on the interviewer and you will stand out even more when others do not bother to write a note. Never e-mail and thank you over the internet.
Following these suggestions will hopefully make the job process for you less stressful. However, never forget to bring everything before the Lord in prayer because Jesus says we can “Cast all of our cares on Him because he cares for us”.
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Parents Television Council Presents Best TV Show of the Week: Wife Swap on ABC
by Aubree Bowling
ABC's family-friendly realty series, Wife Swap, returned to the television line up with its season premiere on Monday, September 12, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The show's premise is the same as last year--two women with different backgrounds trade places for two weeks. During the first week, each must live with her "adoptive" family's rules and habits. During the second week, they get to change the household rules. In the season two debut, Lydia Allison, an etiquette teacher from Mississippi, changed places with Maureen Hagarty of Massachusetts. Lydia, a very proper southern lady, raises her three children to be very well-mannered, conservatively dressed and take personal responsibility for their behavior. Maureen's policy is that having fun is the most important thing and her three kids shouldn't have any restrictions placed on their conduct or actions. Sparks initially flew when these two very different women began to explore each other's world. Maureen's husband, Danny Sr. was not receptive to Lydia's desire to tame his three rowdy, belching, obnoxious sons and Lydia's husband, Tim, wanted his family to remain formal at mealtimes and his home to stay perfectly kept and maintained. When Lydia had her turn to change the household rules, she brought much-needed order, organization, and behavior modification to the Hagerty family. When she arrived, all three boys, aged 8 and younger, were used to no discipline and were so out of control the even acted out in public--kicking holes in cardboard displays and opening meat packages at the grocery store. During the week Lydia had control, she required that the boys write and deliver a letter of apology to the grocery store butcher and stop their disrespectful attitudes. Lydia's family had less to learn and change that Maureen's, but both Tim and his wife did relax some of their most formal activities like dressing for dinner and using fine china at every meal. When the families traded back, both Lydia and Maureen appreciated the changes that they found in their houses. All families feel the way they live is ideal, but most can learn from other people's methods, as well. Happily, Wife Swap is even more accessible now in its new 8:00 p.m. ET timeslot so families can watch and learn together.
Best TV Show of the Week
The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org
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Family Dinners vs. Prison?
News article published in North MS Christian Magazine and Metro Christian Living Magazine by Lydia Allison
Years ago, I saw a television ad promoting the benefits of eating meals together as a family. One of the benefits was that eating together would prevent your children from serving time in prison. I started laughing and nearly fell out of my chair. Quickly, though, the laughter turned into deep thought and a feeling of disheartenment. I thought, “How sad that we have to see an ad on TV to encourage us to sit down with our families every night and eat dinner! I am not against parenting advice. I need all the help I can get! I started being thankful that the word was out about what might happen when families don’t take time to sit down, eat and pay attention to one another every night. A 2004 survey of adolescents, 11-18 years old, found that only ? of teens surveyed eat seven or more family meals together only 1-2 times per week or never. Compared to a group of peers who ate meals regularly with their families, the adolescents of both sexes who seldom or never ate regularly with their families, were more likely to use tobacco, alcohol and marijuana, and more likely to receive low grades in school, to suffer depression and to think about suicide. In three decades the frequency of family meals has fallen 30 percent due to both parents working, sports activities and/or TV. Researchers concluded that eating meals as a family has benefits for people above and beyond their general sense of connection to family members. This was the case even when statistical adjustments were made for factors such as family connectedness, parent’s marital status, school level, and race and socioeconomic status. Eating together as a family will prepare your children for success in life. (Here comes the manners part) What better time to teach your kids table manners than now? Many college graduates are ruining their job interviews because they don’t know simple table manners. Holding utensils the proper way is foreign to them. Some students are even eating soup by drinking from the bowl. They have either forgotten what their moms taught them or never had the opportunity to learn good table manners. If you take the time to eat together and teach your children table manners, then you can probably be assured that when your kids grow up, they will have a little tape playing in their head that says, “Don’t put those elbows on the table,” “Sit up straight,” and “Don’t play with your food.” Since we are on the subject of table manners, here are some basic lessons that you can share as you eat together.
1. Make sure your children know how to set a table. Teach them where the napkin, fork, spoon, knife, drink, glass, etc. goes. I know it is usually not necessary to use all of these utensils when we dine, but children really need to know this. When they grow up there will be many dining situations where using all of the utensils will be necessary.
2. Insist that all cell phones be turned off and not brought to the table. Don’t answer your land line either and turn off the TV so your meal will not be interrupted.
3. No elbows/arms on the table.
4. Have napkins available and place them in your lap.
5. Food is passed to the right.
6. Do not pick over the food to take the biggest piece of something (chicken, beef, etc.). Take the piece that is nearest to you on the platter.
7. Touched food has to be eaten by the person it is touched by.
8. Chew food with your mouth closed (oh, I can still hear the taped in my head going!).
9. Do not talk with food in your mouth.
10. Pat (not wipe) your mouth with your napkin (not your arm sleeve).
11. If you have food in your mouth that you cannot continue to eat, it should be removed the same way that It went into your mouth. Example: if you placed the food in your mouth with a fork, take it out of your mouth with your fork and place it on your plate. This is what the big etiquette experts say. I however, disagree! I feel more comfortable placing my napkin up to my mouth, spitting my ABC food (that’s Already Been Chewed food) in my napkin and folding my napkin, placing it back in my lap.
12. Teach your kids to cut meat properly. Be patient with the little ones. It takes a lot of coordination!
13. Make no weird noises or uncontrollable giggling so that the food or drink spills out of your mouth. Remember however, it is OK to laugh together, talk and have fun during meal times!
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Starkville woman takes etiquette to high school camp
Starkville etiquette trainer Lydia Allison brought formal dinner training to the summer BOSS (Building Opportunities to Succeed in School) Camp for disadvantaged high schoolers who are mentored and counseled by Gear Up Mississippi. While soon to be high school seniors ate a garden salad, Allison gave “silent signal” tips that even informal restaurants use. “One of the ‘silent signals’ is if you need to take a break and you are not finished with your meal, criss-cross your utensils in the middle of the plate and place your napkin in the middle of the chair,” said Allison. “If you are finished, don’t shout to your server. Just place your knife and fork at 10 o’clock to 4 o’clock.” Allison also gave historic reasons for dinner-table rules that may seem unreasonable, such as breaking bread before eating it – a rule prescribed in the middle ages. “They thought that by breaking off – only a small amount of bread that is actually going to be eaten – one did not contaminate the remainder of the bread, which would then be distributed to the poor,” she said. “And the Victorians were convinced that only animals ate whole pieces of food at a time, and they certainly were not going to mimic an animal.” Allison, who is now teaching business etiquette, says there’s a growing need for rules of politeness as society’s fast-paced functions produce too much casualness. “As far as manners are concerned, our society is becoming so casual that no one knows what to do anymore,” said Allison. “People are very busy, and it’s hard to find time to sit around the table all together without the TV on and talk to each other and teach our children table manners,” she continued. “We live in a fast food society. When you’re eating in your car going to the next event, you can’t teach your children about table manners, and we’re bringing that lifestyle into the business world. “And knowing good manners and proper etiquette are life skills required in the business world. A person cannot survive in the the business world without them.” Along with her business training, Allison teaches children starting from age 4, adolescents and high schoolers. For inquiries about business etiquette go online to www.MarketPlaceManners.com, and for youth go to www.ClassyKidsAcademy.com. The Mississippi State University College of Business and Industry has faculty from different areas of the college that lead the BOSS camp. High school guidance counselors throughout the state nominate the students to attend, said Paul Grimes, professor and head of Finance Economics for MSU. During the week, the professors taught them what it was like to be a college student and took them to the MSU Career Center to take interest inventories, which might help them decide what that would best fit their skills and personality. The students also met and talked with professors from other colleges about what sorts of jobs they’ll get when they graduate form college. “Professionally and personally I find it a very rewarding experience to reach out and help folks who may not otherwise come to college,” said Grimes. “It’s an exciting thing to have an impact on someone’s life.”
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10 Most Memorable "Wife Swap" Episodes
Executive producer chooses favorite episodes
SEPT. 29, 2004 The U.S. series premiere that pitted New York City millionaire heiress Jodi Spolansky against rural New Jersey woodcraftsman Lynn Bradley was "emblematic of how much bigger the show could be in the U.S. than its British counterpart," Gamson says.
SEPT. 12, 2005 Etiquette teacher Lydia Allison swaps roles with Maureen Hagerty, mom to a brood of naughty little boys, and winds up successfully schooling them in how to ask politely, "Can you please pass the butter?"
OCT. 31, 2005 Dairy farmer Christy Baker trades with Audrey Donahoe, a Southern belle partial to pink bows who bravely embraces the hardscrabble life on the farm, including waking up at 3 a.m. to milk the cows.
NOV. 7, 2006 Emotions run high in this tradeoff between uber-strict New Jersey mom Grace Rivera -- "Alcatraz would have been a holiday," Gamson quips -- and Robin Rowland, blue-collar mom to three wild teenage girls.
MAY 28, 2007 Florida psychic Sheree Silver (who will return in episode 100), shocks the family of Ashley Pitney, a doting wife and mother, when she declares that one of the Pitney sons is an extraterrestrial.
FEB. 13, 2008 One of the only episodes with a downer ending, the husband of strict evangelical Christian Lee-Ann Child admits to working mom Kim Beckman-Haskett that he is "proudly brainwashing (his children) in the name of the Lord."
FEB. 27, 2008 Samantha Myers, a ghost hunter who claims to have special powers and a shaman son, swaps families with Karen Sutton, whose husband, a down-to-earth Kentucky coal miner, refers to her as "the maid."
SEPT. 25, 2008 "Wife Swap" literally "saved the marriage" of the Boyds, professional competitive cheerleaders who swapped spouses with the Miloreys, a videogaming family.
OCT. 3, 2008 Cautious Karen Martel, who runs a child safety business, steps in for slightly reckless Mayumi Heene, mom of a storm-chasing family (also returning for the 100th episode).
OCT. 10, 2008 "There's never a dry eye," says Gamson of the audience reaction to this poignant pairing between the McCaslins, a brood of powerlifters, and the Deekens, a Southern tea party family. "The McCaslins were one of the most wonderful, touching families we've had on the show. They were all about giving to other people, including a wonderful tea party tribute to Donna (Deeken)."
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Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Britney!
News article published in North MS Christian Magazine and Metro Christian Living Magazine by Lydia Allison
Ah yes, the challenges of raising daughters in the new millennium are here! And who do we have to thank for those challenges but Britney (Paris and Lindsay, too)? Forgive the sarcasm, but these young girls who rose to fame and stardom, thanks to the media, have made quite and impression on our daughters and teen culture. All the attention, the bling, the clothes, the cars, keep some young girls salivating at the mouths for the same thing. "If only I could have all of the attention(popularity) and stuff they have, then everything in my life would be ok", they say. In the beginning, I knew that Britney, from the title of her song, Oops!...I Did It Again (I played with your heart), was trouble. Hearing clips of her songs, seeing portions of her music videos with her sexual dance movements, knowing some of her wardrobe choices (wearing no underwear) and observing her life style has deeply concerned and saddened me. Now, according to the latest news, we hear that Britney is on the brink of numerous psychological troubles. Is it any wonder? Britney is every mother's nightmare! This is not how I want my daughters to turn out! As Christians we are commanded in 1John not to love the world or the things of the world. As Christian women and mothers raising daughters, we have to fight a worldly, materialistic, what's-on-the-outside-is-all-there-is culture to raise our daughters as the Bible says, "and let not (your) adornment be merely external-braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses, but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God," 1Peter3:3-4. We need to teach our girls that "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised", Proverbs 31:30. Here are some ideas that I would like to share that will hopefully enable moms (and dads) to raise their daughters in a Godly way. First, we need to model character that we want our daughters to cultivate. The only way we can have success in this is to continually put Christ first in our lives. We have to fight these worldly battles too. It takes Jesus to help us to not love the world, forgive others who have hurt us, not gossip, and keep repenting. I am very humbled because I know that I have struggled in all of these things. It is OK to let our daughters see us struggle because they need to see that we are human, too. Then end result though is to let them see us striving, praying, and working to be all that God requires us to be. We can share our victories with them too. Secondly, we need to be there! Don't think our daughters don't need us just because they are in school or older (teens need their moms more than ever). Spending time with our daughters is crucial to building a good relationship foundation when they are young and continuing to build upon it when they are teens. Extra curricular activities are great but too many of them can replace what children really need and that is us! Does your job take up time that you should be spending with your girls? Both parents should strive to be one on one with their children on a regular basis. This really helps parents get to know each child individually. If that relationship is in place when they are young and growing up, they will respect and listen to us when they are teenagers and we definitely want that! We need to help our daughters understand the importance of being modest and pure in a vulgar society. It's really a challenge to dress our daughters today. We need to show them that there is a difference in dressing attractively than dressing seductively. Styles of clothing have changed from feminine and innocent to hot and sexy. You know it is best if your daughter not wear clothing that shows their cleavage, belly button or part of their bottom. Shopping can be an X rated experience in itself. I am appalled at the way Victoria Secret exploits women. The lingerie they sell promotes "SEX, SEX and SEX". Since God invented sex, it is healthy in the context of marriage and it was meant to be private and not be out in the open. I love it when my husband takes my daughters shopping. He gives them "Daddy Love" as he makes sure his daughters choose appropriate clothing that doesn't reveal their body parts. You have to look longer and more carefully, but there are stores that sell decent looking clothes for young women. Let's help our daughters choose their role models. If your daughter loves to watch Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan music videos and observe their out of control lifestyle, I caution you. Do you want your daughter to look to Britney as a role model? We need to encourage our daughters to find real life role models who aren't celebrities. Celebrity lifestyles aren't reality. There are many young women that deserve to be role models for our daughters. Look for godly Christian women who are in athletics, church, education and politics. Let's teach our daughters to serve others. There are always wonderful opportunities to serve others- especially in your church. Make it a priority to help your daughter learn to serve in your church. Working in the nursery, being involved in Vacation Bible School, helping out with Children's Church are great ways to teach our daughters the value of selflessness and motherhood (Matt20:28), something the world does not promote for our young women. Manners and morals in today's society seem to be going down a slippery slope. The challenges in raising our daughters seem overwhelming, but with the Lords's help, lots of love and prayer, He can help us and will mold and make them into the beautiful young women He wants them to be. By the way.....remember to pray for Britney.
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Face Booking At 49
News article published in North MS Christian Magazine and Metro Christian Living Magazine by Lydia Allison
Face Book/My Space are social networks over the internet where a person can display information about themselves and communicated with their friends by sending messages to each other. A person's information is listed as their "Profile" page. You can add all kinds of information about yourself such as: favorite music, quotes, interests, activities, favorite books and movies, religious and political views if you wish. You can also upload as many pictures of yourself and your friends on your profile page- sort of like creating photo albums online. There are networking groups of all kinds to join and add to your page. One of my groups is called "Pugs not Drugs" because I have two Pugs and I can send messages and share comments and pictures abut my pugs with others who have joined the group. You can add all sorts of applications to your profile page. An example of an application my be something like a game you can play(Are you right brained or left brained?) and you can invite others on Face Book to play the game. There are zillions of different applications that you can surf through and add to your page. You might say that Face Book and My space are "all about me" social networking pages on the internet. Face Book and My Space are very popular with teenagers and is growing more popular with older age groups. Although I do not know everything about Face Book/My Space, I created my own profile page (on Face Book) just to see what it was like. Honestly, it is a really fun way to keep up with people that you see and don't see(people who live far away)everyday. I have enjoyed reconnecting with friends that I have lost touch with over the years and now I can send them a fast "hi, what's up, thinking of you," message. By reading my friends profile pages, I have learned a lot about them that I might not have ever known. I also enjoy looking at their picture alburms. One thing that I have learned about being on Face Book is that people cannot read your profile page unless they send a request to be your friend. Only after accepting their request for your friendship can they read your profile page and start communicating with you. I started learning about Face Book when my teens created their own profiles and I have watched them on a daily basis update their profiles, upload their pictures and request to be friends with others. And since there are so many internet predators, I have (and still do) read their profile pages just to see who they are communicating with. Call me a nosy, invasive mom, but I believe parents need to be involved with their children's lives and know what is going on with them. This is the reason I joined Face Book. I am writing this article to inform parents to be ready to know what to do when their kids reach the adolescent stage of life. Since Face Book/My Space is all the rage with teens, I must share some concerns I have that have recently surfaced in news stories. For instance, I have heard of teens and college students uploading photos of themselves and /or of their friends that show promiscuous, wild, drunk, and even nude behavior. What they are fast finding out is that potential employers in the business world are requesting their profile page addresses so they can "check out" the students they interview and they are "weeding out" these students from ever working in their business. Since reputations and lives can be ruined from publicizing this behavior, kids should know that anything shared over the internet is public and any pictures uploaded is permanently in the Face Book data base. The latest trend is for people to create false identities on Face Book. In one extreme case, a very cruel person created a false identity that pretended to be interested in a "targeted" girl on Face Book. The teen girl committed suicide because she was "courted" on her Face Book by this "false" person and "dumped". How sad and tragic for her family and friends. David Felker, youth director of Grace Presbyterian church, Starkville, Mississippi writes, "Social networks provide the opportunity to engage from a distance. You do not have to get close or involved. Face Book can be a lightening rod for sin. Your child will be exposed to foul language, inappropriate pictures, and negative comments about peers, parents, and teachers. On the other hand, it's a great way to keep up with friends. It's a venue in which you can encourage a friend. As a parent, it is your decision. Pray about it. Talk to your pastor /and or youth director. Talk to your children. I repeat, talk to your children. On Face Book, how can they create community and edify Christ? How are they doing the gospel work of being salt and light in their school settings? Gather the facts. Created an account if you want to try it out. But in all things, labor to the glory of God." I admit that I am enjoying being on Face Book, but I am a grown woman (49-smile) and am past the naive adolescent stage of my life. The key, no matter what you decide is to keep up with what is going on in your children's lives.
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Keeping Up With The Jone's- Christmas Card Style
News article published in North MS Christian Magazine and Metro Christian Living Magazine by Lydia Allison
The countdown has begun. The Christmas season has started and will end faster than you can read this article. I'm sure one of the very important things on your "Christmas things to do" list is ......send Christmas cards. Everyone loves to receive Christmas cards because people like keeping in touch through the years. Also people love receiving cards and letters and letters through the mail- especially ones that have hand written notes attached.
In the 1800's Sir Henry Cole from England love sending friends and family holiday greeting by writing personal notes on Christmas themed paper. However, the task got to be too large, so he hired a friend to produce for him a Christmas card with a single message that could be copied and sent. That was the beginning of the yearly holiday card that has been an important part of the Christmas season.
Christmas cards have been a Christmas tradition for well over century and Christians us them to share the good news about God and the birth of his son Jesus Christ. the recipients of Christmas cards seem to know that the sender is saying "you are thought of". Now, however, it seems that within the last decade or so (maybe longer) the trend for sending Christmas cards has changed from "you are thought of" to "Hey, look what we did. Aren't we great?" I'm talking about those greetings or rather newsletters that are 4-5 pages long touting family news in the form of major accomplishments and successes. They sound as if they are trying to "keep up with the Jones", Christmas cared style.
Every year, we receive two to three letters that report way too much information about how great, smart, and talented their family members, particularly their children are. Bragging rights range from reporting high test scores, their children being invited by Duke University to take the ACT in the seventh grade(didn't they know that all smart kids in the seventh grade are invited by DUKE to tak the ACT?), to reporting ALL awards won in every extra curricular activity their children are involved in to even, yes, "Camper of the Day" at summer camp! Some letters I have received have started out reporting activities and information that started in January of that year, going through to December. I get exhausted just reading it all! Now wait just a minute! Isn't Jesus the reason for the season? Aren't we as Christians supposed to be "boasting in the Lord" rather than ourselves?
Here are some creative suggestions to keep our Christmas greeting more focused on just what this season is all about.
1. Keep your Christmas cards simple- If you send a newsletter, have your information on the front side of ONE page. You can:
*Write a brief summary (2-3 sentences) about every family member. Share information such as how your kids have grown, what their interests are. Report only main activities they are involved in-your child's favorite activity, no report card grades or ACT scores. Include a picture of your family. Add a personal not, sign and send it.
*Pictures say a thousand words. Have a full page of just pictures of your family arranged in a collage. You can include their school picture and/or a picture of your family member doing what they love the most. Include a picture of your pets too.
*Have your children design your newsletter or Christmas card.
*Write a funny Christmas rhyme about your fmily's year.
* Write a letter from the pen of your 2 year old, your dog, your Christmas tree, etc...
*Condense your year into a top 10 list (like on the David Letterman show). "The top ten reasons that the ___________family loves to celebrate Christmas this year.
2. Keep it happy.
* Do not share unhappy and bad news- divorces, bankruptcies, deaths. It's appropriate to write hand written letters and cards to close friends to share this kind of news. If it's really been a tough year, you do not even have to send a Christmas card. As long as you send a card once every two years, you probably won't be crossed off of your friends Christmas card list.
3. Remember while you write- as believers, we are celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. Use your card as an evangelistic opportunity to explain the reason for the season and praise God from whom all blessings flow.
I am sure you can think of some ogher creative ideas for your family Christmas care. Remember that thinking of others as we go about our lives is what good manners is all about. Ad you are preparing your Christmas cards make sure you communicate to your family and friends that they are thought of" this holiday season.
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Cell Phones- Our New Addictions Part 2
News article published in North MS Christian Magazine and Metro Christian Living Magazine by Lydia Allison
Children and Cell phones-- Cell phones have become a status symbol with children and teenagers. Parents, until your child is old enough to attend a function without being accompanied by a parent, have cell phones are unnecessary. it is merely a play toy. The child wants to imitate what they see their parents and teenagers doing.I know of may parents who have given in to the demands of their children to buy them a phone, paying for their phone plan and have regretted it. Owning and using cell phones requires maturity. Since many adults have trouble exercising self control in using their cell phones, how much more trouble will children have in using theirs? Another true story-I know of a parent who has continued to buy her daughter a cell phone after losing one, dropping one in the bathtub, dropping a phone out of her car window while her mom was driving her around, etc... She is on her fifth phone. This has done nothing to help this child take responsibility for her cell phone privilege. Here's an idea that you may want to try with your kids. Instead of buying your kids a full cell phone plan that requires a monthly payment, try a "pay as you go' plan. During the summer between 8th grad and high school (which is the age that I recommend a child might start having a cell phone), my son was begging us for a cell phone for his birthday. Since we always wanted to help our kids become responsible adults, and since our son wanted a hone so bad, (and all the tweens/teens do), my husband saw this as an opportunity. We decided that we would give our kids their first phone for their birthday but they would have to pay for their phone plan on their own. They all three started off with "pay as you go" plans and the phones were not very expensive either. This allowed them to pay for only what they could afford. The "pay as you go" plans taught them the discipline of only talking as much as they could afford to pay for. If they wanted to talk more, they had to work more (babysitting, cutting grass, etc...) to pay for more talking time on their phones. This has worked really well in teaching our teens to be responsible with their phones. the two older teens now have more expensive phones (which we made them buy) and they are responsible for paying thier monthly bill. Text Messaging Taboos- Although I have loved having the text messaging service on my cell phone (so I can keep up with my teens), it has really taken over with the younger generation. It is not uncommon for a teenager/college student to text others at school during class while concealing their phone in their pockets or purses. there have been cases reported where students have passed on test answers to others through text messaging (that's called cheating people)! Texting at work while helping customers (totally inappropriate)is a new phenomenon that business owners and managers are seeing these days. And since we need our eyes on the road instead of on the cell phone, texting while driving can be extremely dangerous! we want our children to be safe and not make mistakes that are fatal. So. parents, teach your teens to be responsible with their phones. Cell phones in business-Self control is a word that comes to mind when thinking about using cell phones in the market place. Our cell phones are SO accessible and it takes self control not to answer them the minute they ring. Repeating what I said from last month, never answer your phone during a face to face conversation. If you are having a face to face conversation with a co-worker or client, do you think they would NOT be offended while they listened to you talk on the phone to someone who just interrrupted your conversation? Also, turn off cell phones during business lunches and never have them on the table while you eat. If you need to check your messages, excuse yourself from the table and briefly take care of your business, returning promptly. Answering and talking on your phone during business meetings/seminars in front of clients and co-workers is rude and distracting. Others can hear your conversation and they are trying to listen to the presentation. Turn off your phone, take it off the boardroom table and do not keep looking at it to check for messages. You can do that after the meeting is over. Always talk one notch about your "library voice" while on your phone in public. Keep your private conversations private. If you talk on an earphone, be aware that you come across as looking crazy while you are walking around and talking to yourself! Last but not least, people in business have trouble serving customers who are having phone conversations while they are trying to wait on you. Turn of your phones in restaurants and stores and let employees help you with whatever you need. Cell phone manners and the way we use our phones does a lot to get people upset. Remember, good cell phone manners are always about being respectful to others because respecting others is what having good manners are all about.
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Cell Phones- Our New Addiction!
News article published in North MS Christian Magazine and Metro Christian Living Magazine by Lydia Allison
Call it what you will, but I am adding cell phones to the list of cultural addictions. Cell phone addiction is starting to rank up there with addictions like shopping, smoking and drugs. We have to have our cell phones and they have to working 24,7, 365! Admit it, we go nuts if our cell phones are not working or out of use. Our life comes to a complete stand still. Some of the feelings we receive from cell phone ownership and usage are: acceptance-We are included because we have what others have. We can communicate like every one else because we own a cell phone. Feeling wanted and needed is another emotion that cell phone ownership brings. We get "high" rushing to answer our phone because someone wants to talk to us. We really get "high" when someone leaves us a voice mail message! Another feeling that we get from cell phone usage is status and popularity. This is especially big with tweenagers and teenagers. Having the latest (and most expensive), smallest cell phone with the coolest ring tone and a zilion extra features (I am not cell phone savvy enough to know them all) scores really big points with peetrs. You can show off the newest and latest model. You are popular especially if your phone rings a lot and you are around others when it is ringing. And here is the big one, cell phones make us feel important! You know what I am talking about. It makes us look really important as we talk on our cell phones while we are walking down the street, driving in our cars or out and about in restaurants, etc.....! And everyone can see how important you are. You are indispensible! People want what you have or need to hear what you have to say! All kidding aside, cell phones are a great invention. there is a lot of good that can come from owning a cell phone . I love having a cell phone because people can reach me at anytime and that is important because I have a business to run. I can talk business anywhere and having a cell phone doesn't tie me down to my office. I also love having a phone because I want my family to have access to me when they need me. It makes me feel important when my husband and my kids need me and that is a good thing. Since I am an etiquette instructor, I have noticed that the way we use our cell phones can be the source of a great deal of disgust, anger and downright rage. I see huge vapors of steam rise from peoples heads when I discuss people cell phone usage. Cell phone manners- or the lack of them, really trigger people. Why? I am sure you have noticed some outrageous behavior from kids and adults who use their phones. I have heard about people who were kicked off of golf courses and airplanes because they could not be considerate enough to put the phone down when they were supposed to. A business woman answered her cell phone more that 15 times during lunch with her friends because she did not want to miss an "order" from her customers (true story). She even took her cell phone to bed with her and answered her phone through the night to handle international calls from customers as her husband lost sleep. Talk about addictions! I could go on with stories forever and I am sure you have some of your own, but, I want to communicated some cell phone guidelines and manners that will help us be more considerate of others as we go about using our phone. Make sure you share this article with your rude friend who constantly mususes their cell phone (just kidding). 1. It is inconsiderate to answer your phone while you are having a face to face conversation with someone. It makes them feel unimportant when you put them on "hold" and answer your phone and start another conversation. This also applies to "call waiting" situations on land lines. The person you are talking to first gets most of your attention. When your cell phone rings during a face to face conversation, silence your phone as you are talking and continue to have the conversation. You can check for messages or missed calls later and return the call. The only exception for you to answer the phone is of you are expecting a very important phone call, or if you are in the midst of an emergency. Make sure you communicate this to the person you are having a face to face conversation with as you answer your phone. 2. Turn your phone off for church services- especially during weddings and funerals. No one wants to hear a cell phone go off during worship, the most important day of their life or as they are grieving the loss of a loved one. You will get many dirty looks from the congregation too.Make it a habit to check your phones before you enter a church service. 3. Pleeeeasaaasssseeeee! Do not talk on your cell phone when you go to the movies or theater. Turn your cell phone off. People do not pay money to be entertained by your phone conversation. It is really disruptive. 4. Here's one that gets the steam rising from my head. Parents, preach to your teenagers not to text message at the dinner table (at home and at restaurants), and while having face to face conversations with a person! This is really tough to teach, having teenagers myself. Keep telling your teens it is rude behavior (see rule #1 above) and it won't fly when they get out in the business world. If they roll their eyes at you, grit your teeth and talk louder! Stay tuned for Part 2 of Cell Phones- Our New Addictions, to read more about cell phone usage and manners including:
*more cell phone do's and don'ts
*appropriate ages to buy a cell phone for children
*teaching responsibility in children through cell phone usage
*call phone manners in business
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"Wife Swap" shakes up Starkville Household
JACKSON, MS- Lydia Allison's Starkville household is built around structure and discipline. Each weekend, the Allisons — including husband Tim, a Mississippi State University media producer, and children Drew, 16, Ann Elizabeth, 14, and Margaret, 11 — get out their best china, silver and table linens for a formal dinner. "It's my mission to bring manners to the world," Allison said. "Treating people with respect is something we all need to do. Manners are not just for Southerners." Tonight, a national audience will watch Allison's perfect world turn upside down when her family appears on the ABC reality show, Wife Swap. Each episode features two mothers who hand over their house keys and switch families — but not bedrooms — for two weeks of eye-opening mayhem. Allison made the switch with Maureen Hagerty, 41, a raucous stay-at-home mom from Boston. Drew Allison said the thought of being on national TV "kind of blew my mind at first. "They had a camera on us from 8:30 in the morning until 9:30 at night," he said. "At times it got annoying because you wanted to relax but you couldn't because there's a camera there." In June, ABC scouts contacted Allison, 46, after finding a Web site for her etiquette courses, which she teaches at McRae's department stores across Mississippi. Allison calls her co-swapper "pretty rebellious." Hagerty, 41, lets her three rowdy boys — 8-year-old Danny Jr., 6-year-old Jason and 5-year-old Matthew — behave as they please. Unlike the Allisons' fancy table settings and family dinners, the Hagertys use paper plates and eat on TV trays. Burping contests are the norm. In the first week of the swap, Allison was shocked to find herself in a chaotic household. "I tried to tell them what's not appropriate and how to treat people," Allison said of the boys. She also implemented the "time out" mode of discipline. "You will see a huge transformation in the boys," she said. In Starkville, Hagerty was required to dress up for dinner, keep her elbows off the table and sit up straight. During the second week, however, the rules were cast aside. Allison tried to teach etiquette basics to the unruly Hagertys while Maureen banned formal dining and dressing up. "I went in there to tighten them up, and she came in to loosen us up," Allison said. "What you see is what you get. It was pretty real." Filming took two weeks and required each family member to adjust to the lifestyle of the other family. "I think the husbands were very challenged," Allison said. "They had somebody different come into their home who wanted them to live a completely different life than they had ever lived." The couples continue to keep in touch with each other, despite their differences. The Allison children are looking forward to watching the episode tonight with school friends. But, Drew Allison warns, the extent of his mother's strictness and Hagerty's frivolousness was accentuated for entertainment purposes. His mother, he said, isn't nearly strict as the audience is led to believe. The same goes for the portrayal of cross-family drama. "We had a good time with (Maureen)," he said. "We got along really well and I don't know how common that is. You'd think the people hate each other afterwards."
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ABC Announces Wife Swap Premiere
ABC Announces Wife Swap Premiere September 12th 8/29/05. SEASON PREMIERE OF WIFE SWAP A CONSERVATIVE, SOUTHERN MOM WHO TEACHES ETIQUETTE SWAPS PLACES WITH A RAUCOUS STAY-AT-HOME MOM WHO LETS HER KIDS RUN WILD, ON THE SEASON PREMIERE OF ABC'S "WIFE SWAP" In "Allison/Hagerty," a conservative teacher from Mississippi who firmly believes in structure and discipline swaps lives with a raucous stay-at-home mom who doesn't believe in manners or any kind of rules or household duties, when "Wife Swap" -- the critically-acclaimed unscripted reality show that takes us into the intimate heart of the American family home to reveal the extraordinarily different ways families live their lives - returns for a second season, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Each week, from across the country, two families with very different values are chosen to take part. In a two-week-long challenge, the wives from these two families exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms ) to discover what it's like to walk a mile in another mother's pumps. It's a mind-blowing experiment that often ends up changing their lives forever. Lydia Allison (46) is an etiquette teacher from a small town in Mississippi. She and husband Tim (46) have three very prim and proper kids, Drew (16), Ann Elizabeth (14) and Margaret (11). Lydia uses hand puppets named Madame Elegante and Dear Princess to teach her students how to use napkins properly and to instruct them to use "wonderful words" like please and thank you. Lydia and husband Tim believe in having a structured and serious household. The Allison children are expected to behave to a certain standard, have strict curfews and many household chores and, of course, only use "wonderful words." Every weekend the family gets out its best china, silver and table linens and has a formal dinner together. Lydia and Tim have a great relationship and value their quality time together, often having romantic nights out. Lydia travels to the messy Massachusetts home of Maureen Hagerty (41), a not-so-proper mom who spends her entire day with her three rowdy boys, Danny Jr. (8), Jason (6) and Matthew (5), while her husband, Danny Sr. (44), works as a postal worker. Maureen encourages her boys to behave as they please - no matter how rude. She does little kitchen cleaning and sometimes leaves the groceries out so the kids can just dive right into the bags and take whatever they want. If the kids want to wear pajamas and cowboy boots and have burping contests, they can! Maureen's motto: "It's the Hagerty way or the highway." Unlike the Allisons' fancy table settings and family dinners, the Hagertys use paper plates and can not even FIND their kitchen table - it's always stacked with laundry. In the first week of the swap, uptight Lydia is shocked to find herself in a chaotic household and faces her biggest etiquette challenge yet with the three young out-of-control Hagerty boys, while Maureen must get dressed up for dinner, keep her elbows off the table and sit up straight. In the second week of the swap, when the wives change the rules and turn the tables, Lydia faces the toughest challenge of her life trying to teach etiquette 101 to the unruly Hagertys, who are made to dress properly and behave like proper little gentlemen. Meanwhile, when Maureen bans formal dining and dressing up, she and new husband Tim clash when Maureen allows the kids to let loose and have burping contests. At the end of the swap, when the couples are reunited, will the Allisons and the Hagertys find common ground, or are their differences too great to overcome? "Wife Swap" is an RDF Media production. It was created by Stephen Lambert and is executive-produced by Lambert, Jenny Crowther, Wendy Roth of RDF Media ("Faking It" and "Junkyard Wars") and Michael Davies of Embassy Row ("Who Wants to be a Millionaire"). Stef Wagstaffe is the co-executive producer.
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Not a Key Party
News article published in a Canadian newspaper
Take an etiquette teacher from Mississippi, have her switch lives with a boisterous stay-at-home mom from Massachusetts who doesn’t believe in manners, and the result — one would think — would be something that falls under the classification of a felony. Or in this case, a reality TV show. No punchline here folks — this is exactly what Classy Kids Academy president Lydia Allison experienced this summer when she travelled to the messy home of Maureen Hagerty to tape Monday’s season opener of Wife Swap. “It was shocking. They keep their laundry on the kitchen table — I almost died. They get what they wear from the table everyday and eat off paper plates,” says Allison. Moving into the Hagerty home for two weeks was a huge adjustment for Allison, who along with her husband Tim, have three very prim and proper kids. Not only are they expected to behave and do household chores, they also take part in a formal dinner every weekend. “I believe that children are so hungry for boundaries — that’s what makes them feel safe and secure,” she says. “That’s the way we have raised our children and that’s the way our friends have raised their children.” Unlike Allison, Hagerty encourages her boys to behave as they please — no matter how rude — and rarely cleans. “I came in there and let her husband Danny know that what he was doing was all wrong. Young children should not be able to get away with what they were getting away with,” says Allison. “He gave me such a hard time, but we are all really good friends. I really feel I had a lot of success with the kids.” In the first week of the swap, Hagerty also faced several challenges of her own. Agreeing to live under the Allison house rules, she was forced to get dressed up for dinner, keep her elbows off the table and sit up straight. “We saw the final tape last week and I almost peed my pants it was so funny. I am not a real big etiquette person myself — it works for them, it’s just not the way I chose to run my family,” Hagerty says. In the second week, when the wives turned the tables, Allison faced the toughest challenge of her life — trying to teach etiquette 101 to the unruly Hagerty boys. Hagerty, on the other hand, banned formal dining and allowed the Allison kids to have burping contests. “I don’t really care what other people think. In my house, if you don’t like it, there’s the door,” says Hagerty, who admits she learned a few things while on the show. “We were not very good disciplinarians. There are times I think we should have put our foot down on a few issues — now we try to do that. And we do sit down to eat dinner at least one meal a day now.” Wife Swap airs Monday on ABC at 11 p.m.
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"Wife Swap" Family Finds New Fame after National TV Appearance
STARKVILLE- For the Allison family, one hour on prime -time network television turned into increased popularity at school, more business contacts, and face recognition at traffic lights. Tim and Lydia Allison and their children, Drew, 16, Ann Elizabeth, 14, and Margaret, 11, were featured Monday night on ABC’s reality show “Wife Swap.” Lydia went to Boston and became wife and mother for two weeks to the Hagerty family , while Maureen Hagerty moved to Starkville. Dad, Tim, was not very thrilled when he got a casting call from ABC soliciting the family’s involvement in the program. I thought “here’s reality TV and a show called “Wife Swap”. There’s two strikes and we’re not going for three strikes,” Tim said. “I was hesitant about the celebrity status and having a TV crew in my house for two weeks. A lot about it gave me the heebee jeebees.” Friends convinced him the show had positive elements , and Lydia was eager for the chance to gain publicity for her growing etiquette training business, Classy Kids Academy. ABC found the Allison family through a Web search on etiquette. Lydia offers etiquette classes at McRae’s, thanks to an arrangement with manager Perky Richard. “She is a very progressive and smart businesswoman who gave me the opportunity to bring manners and etiquette to the Golden Triangle region. She believes it is good for our region,” Lydia said. Those classes are what caught ABC’s eye , so the Allison family in the deep South was paired up with a family of three young, out of control boys in Massachusetts. Wives were swapped for two weeks. The new moms learned the families’s ways for one week, then the families learned the ways of the new mom the second week. “I did have a humongous challenge,” Lydia said. “I was able to have a lot of success because kids need structure and boundaries. (The Hagerty boys were so hungry for someone to lovingly say,”You may not do that or this is the consequence.” “My strategy with them was to take away play time, and it worked....I fell in love with those children. I knew that the daddy needed some help, so I just went in there and acted like the mom that I am, and I incorporated a lot of my program,”she said. Lydia said the family’s atmosphere changed from screaming, crying, hitting and yelling to quiet and normal in a week. She got the family to eat together at the table and taught the boys to respect their father. Lydia used her “Goop Buster” program to teach the boys manners, and the publicity she got from the show caused an immediate spike in hits to her Web site. She also was a guest Monday on the nationally syndicated Rick and Bubba radio show talking about her etiquette training. The ABC crew of seven was in Starkville the second and third weeks of July. In addition to the Allison house, they shot at Starkville High, Starkville Caf?, Harvey’s, Hotel Chester and McRae’s in Columbus. Tim said the crew came in and “depersonalized” the whole house. They removed anything that could remotely have a copyright on it,” Tim said. The couple’s Auburn and Florida State items came down, and the family was not allowed to wear clothing with visible logos or brand- identifying features. He said the scenes where new mom Maureen cut the lock of Drew’s door were blown out of proportion. “The door is an exterior door,”Tim said. “The lock is to keep people out, not to keep people in.” Tim said that while the actual shooting was hard on family members, they like how the show came out. “ABC took some creative liberties...they made us look maybe more formal than we actually are and a little more strict and stern that we actually are,” Tim said. Now in town , the Allisons are celebrities. Tim said a stranger at a stoplight offered to trade wives with him and the clerk at his dog’s veterinarian recognized him from television. The kids are enjoying their new status at school, and Lydia is getting email from all around congratulating her on her performance with the Hagerty family. Since the taping and wife swapping, the two families have continued to stay in contact about once a week.
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Good Manners Begin with Using "Wonderful Words"
News article published in North MS Christian Magazine and Metro Christian Living Magazine by Lydia Allison
With today’s busy families, it is no surprise that new moms and dads can feel incredibly overwhelmed at the task of parenting. Just think, for the next 18 years or so, for each child they raise , they will have to not only physically care for them (feed , bathe, nurture, clothe, etc), they are expected to read to each child every night to help them grow to love reading, create and pull off unforgettable birthday parties every year, them play every sport imaginable to help them become well rounded. And if that weren’t enough, for the list of “parent things to do,” parents have to come up with a way to teach their children to be respectful, good-choice making-kids so they will grow up to be adults who do community service and become good citizens. That means teaching manners. What is a parent to do? Is there a plan out there?
Here are some thoughts that will help jump-start a plan for young parents to begin this life long process of training a child in manners.
When children are very small, it would be foolish to try to teach him or her how to hold a knife or fork and cut meat without making a mess. Since language is one of the first and biggest developments in a child’s life, start there. Teach your children by modeling to them to know and use “wonderful words.” Introduce into their language world words and phrases such as “please,” “thank-you”, “may I?”“excuse me”,”your welcome,” “yes ma’am,” “no ma’am,” “yes sir,” no sir,” “I’m sorry,” and “will you forgive me?”
These words and phrases are wonderful because they make others feel wonderful and respected.
If your toddler asks you for something and forgets to say “please,”, correct them by telling them you would be glad to fulfill their request if they would use their wonderful word, “please.”
Since they are young you can help them to remember.
Make a sign of these words and phrases and place them on walls, refrigerator or wherever children can see them easily.
Make a chart and let your toddler know that if you hear him use a wonderful word, record it and reward you child with a treat of their choice (within reason) when the say “X amount of words.
Clap and praise your child as they learn and use their wonderful words.
Tell the grandparents about your endeavor to teach manners. They will think you are the absolute best parent (they might even give you a treat). Ask them to participate in your project.
Read books about manners to your toddler. Examples are “Clifford’s Manners,” Dora the Explorer,” and my favorite, “The Berenstein Bears Forget Their Manners.” Substitute your child’s name for brother or sister bear.
Last and certainly not least, teach toddlers from the get-go to obey their parents.
They will learn to respect authority and have a much easier time getting along with others.
As they grow older (7 and up), have them practice standing when an adult enters the room. This does take practice.
Remember, it takes time to teach children manners so be patient when they do not always say or do the right thing.
Parents have 18 years and if they start teaching early on, when the children leave the house, they will remember and carry out their good manners in the marketplace.
Lydia Allison is a wife and mother of 3. She teaches etiquette classes (Classy Kids Academy) at Belk department store in Columbus, MS. She can be reached at 662-324-1239.
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Steppin' Out Getting Real
Local Starkville resident Lydia Allison will appear Monday on the second season premiere of ABC’s hit series “Wife Swap". A conservative Southern mother who teaches etiquette classes at McRae’s department store, Allison swaps places with a raucous stay-at-home mother from Massachusetts who lets her children run wild. The outcome is often combative, and frequently hilarious, she said.
“I think you will find the program thoroughly entertaining,” predicted Allison who summed up the experience as “totally wonderful” when it was all said and done.
The Starkville resident said she had a rude awakening when she was thrust into a home in Massachusetts where manners and rules were non-existent. The critically acclaimed, unscripted reality show examines American family life to reveal the extraordinarily different ways families live their lives.
Reflecting on her two week ordeal, she said she has relaxed her standards a bit, while her counterpart has stepped up her disciplinary tactics.
I told her husband that if they didn’t introduce some structure into the lives of their children, they were headed for prison,” declared Allison
As the week progressed and I injected some rules and insisted on manners he began to realize I wasn’t exaggerating.
She believes both families benefitted from the experience.
Episode will air at 7 p.m. Monday on ABC
Each week, from across the country, two families with very different values are chosen to take part in a two-week-long challenge.
The wives from these two families exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover what it’s like to walk a mile in another mother’s pumps.
It’s a mind blowing experience that often ends up changing their lives forever.
Allison and her husband Tim, a media producer in Ag Communications at MSU have three children: Drew, 16, Ann Elizabeth, 14, and Margaret, 11. They are expected to adhere to high standards of behavior.
They have strict curfews and are assigned many household chores.
Each weekend the family would take out the best china, silver and table linens and hold a formal dinner together.
“We’re not doing that anymore,”said Allison. “I have lightened up a little but we will still reserve the formal dinners for the holidays.”
Her “swapping” wife Maureen Hagerty is a 41 year old “messy” mother who spends her entire day with her three rowdy boys, Danny Jr., 8, Jason, 6 , and Matthew 5 while her husband Danny Sr., works as a postal worker.
Maureen encourages her boys to behave as they please- no matter how rude.
She does little kitchen cleaning and sometimes leaves the groceries out so the kids can just dive right into the bags and take whatever they want. Burping contests at the dinner table are a daily event.
Maureen’s motto: It’s the Hagerty way or the highway.” Unlike the Allisons’ fancy table settings and family dinners, the Hagerty’s use paper plates and can not even FIND their kitchen table-it’s always stacked high with laundry.
In the first week of the swap, uptight Allison is shocked to find herself in a chaotic household and faces her biggest etiquette challenge yet with the three young out of control Hagerty boys , while Hagerty must get dressed up for dinner, keep her elbows off the table and sit up straight down south in Starkville.
In the second week of the swap when the wives change the rules and turn the tables, Allison faces the toughest challenge of her life trying to teach etiquette 101 to the unruly Hagerty’s, who were made to dress properly and behave like proper gentlemen.
Meanwhile, when Hagerty bans formal dining and dressing up, she and new husband Tim clash at times.
Tune in to see the outcome of the complex situation which both women describe as “transforming.” Today, the families are good friends who stay in close contact with each other.
Allison said the experience has caused her to beef up her website and expand her interest in training mothers from other communities in the importance of manners and discipline.
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