Showing up with Uninvited Guests

 When an Invitation Isn’t for Everyone: Why Uninvited Guests (and Pets) Shouldn’t Tag Along

Imagine this.

You’ve spent the week preparing your home for friends who are coming to stay over the weekend. Fresh linens are on the bed, groceries are stocked, and you’ve planned a few meals and outings that you know your guests will enjoy. Everything is ready.

Then the doorbell rings.

Your friends arrive—along with someone you’ve never met… and their dog. Suddenly, the quiet weekend you envisioned feels very different. Sleeping arrangements don’t work, the extra guest has dietary restrictions you didn’t plan for, and your neighbor (who already dislikes barking) is now giving you side glances across the fence.

Your smile stays polite, but inside, you feel caught off guard.

 

Why It Feels Disrespectful

While the extra guest or pet might seem harmless to the person who brought them, to the host it can feel like an intrusion. When someone invites you into their home, it’s not the same as inviting you to a public event. They’ve considered space, time, and energy for you.

Adding another person or animal changes the entire dynamic. It may stretch the household budget, overwhelm a carefully planned weekend, or make other guests uncomfortable. And let’s not forget allergies, safety concerns, or even house rules that are disrupted without warning.

At its heart, showing up with an uninvited guest or pet sends a message—intentional or not—that the host’s boundaries don’t matter.

The Graceful Alternative

If you’ve been invited to a weekend stay but feel you can only attend if you bring someone else (or your pet), the considerate step is simple: ask first.

A host may happily say, “Of course, bring them along!” Or they may hesitate because it truly doesn’t work for their household. If that’s the case, the gracious thing to do is either make alternate arrangements for your guest/pet—or politely decline the invitation.

Either way, you’ve respected your host’s effort and maintained the trust that makes hospitality possible.

Good Manners Make Good Memories

The best weekend visits are the ones where both guest and host feel comfortable, relaxed, and appreciated. That happens when we arrive as invited—no more, no less—ready to enjoy the gift of someone opening their home to us.

So the next time you receive a warm weekend invitation, remember: the kindest way to say “thank you” is by showing up just as expected—without surprises, without extras, and with plenty of gratitude.

Social Etiquette for Professional Success

BACK TO SCHOOL ETIQUETTE TIPS

 

                                     BACK TO SCHOOL ETIQUETTE

Parents are busy now preparing their children for the new school year. New uniforms, books and school supplies take priority; but it is the perfect time also to remind our children of how important it is for them to practice good manners and polite behavior in school.

These etiquette tips for school etiquette will help your child give a good first impression from day one, build positive and strong relationships and feel confident in knowing what is the correct behavior while in daily school activities and in special events. Greet teachers and classmates with a smile

1-     Greet teachers and friends with a smile and making eye contact

2-     Respect personal space

3-     Respect school property and materials

4-     Use Polite Words – please and thank you always

5-     Follow school rules and instructions

6-     Be inclusive and Kind

7-     Take responsibility for your actions

8-     Keep your belongings clean and organized

These are etiquette principles that will boost your child’s self-confidence as they build the social skills  they need to thrive in any academic setting and beyond.

Wishing parents and children a kind, polite and successful school year!

 

FLAG DAY ETIQUETTE

 

Flag Day in the United States is observed June 14^th every year, to commemorate the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States on June 14^th, 1777 by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress.

Our flag should be beyond politics and it is my hope that we continue to respect it as one of our national symbols  and, therefore, teach our children the importance and deep meaning of practicing “Patriotic Manners”

Flag Etiquette, is determined by the official guidelines found in the U.S. Flag code (Title 4 of the United States Code) which determines how it should be displayed. it’s location and position in relation to other flags and how it should be retired when too worn to be displayed.  

I take this opportunity to remind you, that our Flag Protocol indicates that the national flag stand alone on a stage, to the audience’s left.  No other flag is placed to the right of the flag.

Another #flagetiquette tip is to remember that when displaying the flag horizontally against a solid background, the blue field with the stars (called the "union") should always be at the top left when you are observing it.

Have a wonderful Flag Day and share the pride for this national symbol.

Graduation Etiquette Reminders

 

GRADUATION ETIQUETTE

 

This is the time of year for Graduations, and therefore, a good time to review some graduation etiquette so you have confidence in what is the right behavior when we receive an announcement or an invitation. Now cap and gowns commencements start as early as Kindergarten so you not only could receive them for a high school or college graduation but for pre-school, fifth or eighth grade!

Let's begin with the understanding the difference between a graduation announcement and an invitation to a graduation ceremony or party.

 

An Announcement, as its name implies, is simply a way of informing friends and family that a young man or woman has accomplished an academic goal. It does not require your attending any event whatsoever.

 

If you receive a graduation announcement, you are not required to send a gift to the graduate. You, of course, may do so if you wish, receiving a gift is always nice, but you do not have to. What is always a nice gesture is to send a card or note congratulating the graduate for his/her accomplishment.

 

On the other hand, if you are invited to the ceremony or the celebration of the graduation, you must send or take with you a gift to the event. Teens don’t seem in general to be too concerned with buying their friends gifts, but it is our duty as parents to show them how considerate it is to take a gift to their friend’s celebration.  It is also a good opportunity to talk to your teens about money and budgets when you go out shopping together for that gift and guide them into an area of adulting many times neglected, which is talking about their money management.

 

Another aspect that is always a delicate topic is who gets invited to the actual commencement. Usually,  high school and college graduation ceremonies have a limited number of invitations allotted per student. Most family members will understand that it only allows for very close members to attend, but always explain the situation to relatives so they don’t feel they have been left out of this important family event.  A considerate way of dealing with this problem is to make sure that members from each side of the family of the graduate attend. For instance, if you only have two available tickets, invite one grandparent from each side, instead of the couple from either the mother’s or father’s side.

 

If you have a large family that is used to big celebrations and want to participate in the festivities to show how proud and happy they are for the graduate,  then hold a party. It does not even have to be on the same day of the ceremony which might be too much for one day, but hold it any day after the graduation and make sure to invite everyone so they all share the family joy. 

 

Enjoy this graduation season and share the joy of theses special occasions!

 

 

 

IMPORTANCE OF THE PERFECT HANDSHAKE

 IMPORTANCE OF THE PERFECT HANDSHAKE

Handshakes are a crucial part of making a good first impression, therefore, I want to share with you seven tips to always get them right! In the business world it is well known that a firm, confident handshake provides the best setting for a favorable impression. We all know that your handshake should follow rules of etiquette, show confidence and avoid awkward situations but how do we put all that into practice? 

Here are my 7 tips:

1- Always stand up to shake hands.

2- Always maintain eye contact while shaking.

3- Make sure that you give a full palm so you can reach web to web of thumb.

4- Do not shake (pump) more than 3 times.

5- Always smile – makes a pleasant facial expression

6- Avoid the extremes- No limp “dead fish” or too strong “bone crusher”

7- Always make sure your hand is not sweaty or wet from holding a drink!

Follow these seven steps and you will give the perfect handshake and a positive professional first impression.

CELEBRANDO LA DEMOCRACIA - ETIQUETA Y PROTOCOLO DE LA JURAMENTACION PRESIDENCIAL EN ESTADOS UNIDOS

 ETIQUETA Y PROTOCOLO DE LA JURAMENTACION PRESIDENCIAL EN ESTADOS UNIDOS

A solo dias de la Juramentación del presidente numero 47 de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, considero apropiado compartir información sobre este trascendental acto cívico que constituye las Ceremonias Inaugurales que se han celebrado en 60 oportunidades.

Lo primero que debo destacar es que este traspaso de mando implica la celebración de 235 anos de democracia, un logro que debemos enfatizar e indicar a nuestros hijos, ya que desafortunadamente en nuestros países de Latino América, la democracia es un bien efímero para la gran mayoría de la región.

Pero volviendo a la toma de posesión presidencial en Estados Unidos podemos observar que los eventos que constituyen tres dias de actividades, en su mayoría, han emanado de las tradiciones y los gustos de los presidentes electos. 

Un aspecto especificado en la Constitución -en su Articulo II, Sección 1- es que el futuro presidente debe pronunciar el Juramento que textualmente aparece en la Constitución. Sin embargo, no indica que debe jurar sobre una Biblia, a pesar que por tradición la mayoría de los presidentes así lo han hecho, aunque hay algunos, como el caso de John Quincy Adams que lo hizo sobre libros de Derecho.

Otro aspecto Constitucional, es el indicado en la Enmienda numero 20 de 1933, que establece el dia 20 de enero como el dia de la Juramentación, ya que antes de ese momento, la juramentación se realizaba el dia 4 de marzo, fecha que el Congreso Continental había establecido para el inicio del mandado del Primer presidente de los Estados Unidos, George Washington. Es interesante destacar que, si el 20 de enero cae un domingo, el presidente se juramenta en privado en la Casa Blanca y el Acto Público de Toma de Posesión, se celebra el lunes 21.

Referente al Protocolo que nace de las tradiciones destacamos que la administración del Juramento presidencial esta a cargo del presidente del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, sin embargo, no es un requisito constitucional y en varias ocasiones lo ha realizado otro funcionario.

Otro aspecto protocolar que difiere de muchos otros países, es que, en Estados Unidos, los presidentes no utilizan una Banda Presidencial. Esta decisión nace con el inicio de la República, ya que se quería deslindar de las tradiciones europeas monárquicas en las que el poder político y la autoridad se representaba con símbolos como bandas y condecoraciones. En Estados Unidos, la transmisión de mando se destaca por su austeridad y sobriedad resaltando los valores de igualdad entre los ciudadanos.

Hay muchos otros detalles en estos tres dias de celebraciones que varían y se adaptan a los momentos históricos que vive el país y repito a los gustos y deseos de los presidentes electos, ya que como mencione anteriormente no están estipulados como mandatos constitucionales.

Finalmente, quiero compartirles que el carácter público de esta juramentación se extiende a la oportunidad que tienen los ciudadanos de todo el país de asistir personalmente al acto.  Para este dia se elaboran boletos gratis que cualquiera puede obtener contactando a los Senadores y/o Representantes al Congreso de su jurisdicción para solicitarlos. Claro está, es un número limitado así que, si están interesados en asistir a la próxima la transmisión de mando del 2029, acuérdense de estar en contacto con la comisión organizadora del Congreso conocida por sus siglas en inglés, JCCIC -JOINT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITEE ON INAUGURAL CEREMONIES, ¡para saber cuándo estarán disponibles!