Is chivalry dead? Did chivalry ever truly exist or is it a figment of female’s imagination? What is chivalry to you? Holding a door open for you? Offering you their seat? Offering to help you with a heavy suitcase? What is it? I do not believe chivalry is dead. I see chivalry all over in multiple shapes and forms. Whether it is a guy holding the door open for a girl or offering his seat, chivalry varies based on the person. If chivalry is dead, how do we make it alive again? Do we force guys to go to classes to learn how to be a gentleman or do we rely on the parents teaching these techniques at home? Do we trust that the parents are going to raise gentlemen to treat women right? Is there a chivalry for women? Is it etiquette classes?
This past weekend I was at work and saw the best form of chivalry. One of our regular customers has recently started using a walker. As I was helping a customer with a phone order, I looked up to see a little boy run to her and help her walk from her car to the door of our store. Once she was close enough to the door, he held the door open for her and waited for her to be fully inside our store. My manager quickly ran up to the kid and his family once she saw his kind act. She wanted to tell the parents thank you for raising such a gentleman. This kid could not have been older than nine and I think that was made his gesture so great. We could see from our store that the parents had not told him to go help her and that he just knew to do it.
Later in my shift I asked my manager why she approached the family of the young kid. She told me that from a parent's perspective, it makes them really happy knowing they are doing a good job raising their child/children. She told me as a parent she often feels overwhelmed and worries about if she is doing a good enough job raising her sons. She also went on to tell me that recently a gentleman told her he wished his children would act the ways hers did when they were in public. She said it made her happy and was a good reminder that she is doing a good job raising them.
After I got off work I met up with my parents at a restaurant. I noticed my dad held the door open for my mom and I as we walked in. I never paid much attention to little things my dad and boyfriend do such as holding the door open and offering to pay the bill. It does not matter how little the act is, the intention is what makes all the difference. Whether the individual does it for attention or they do it out of the kindness in their heart, chivalry is not dead.
