LIFESTYLE
A Southern Gentleman Is
A Good Place to
Start
MANNERS & DECORUM FROM JUNIOR COTILLION WITH JOHNNY BIRDSONG
As a child, my mother and father, as well as other adult role models, taught me life skills that, at the time, I didn’t know were life skills. For example, sit up straight, yes sir, no ma’am, don’t chew with your mouth full, tuck in your shirt, open the door for a lady, help an elderly person down the stairs and on and on. They were trying to mold me, teach me, to be the best version of myself I could be. Despite my early reticence, I use all those life lessons today. Now, as a father, I have a great appreciation for what they were doing and believe it is my role to love, care for, teach and mold my children to be the best version of themselves they can be. I want to be a living, walking, talking example to my sons and daughter. Of course, we as parents want to do all we can for our children, but I believe that at the end of the day, I want to prepare them the best I can for this thing called life. In preparing for our Ladies’ Edition, I wanted to get an expert opinion on what a southern gentleman is in the mind of a lady, who is responsible for molding and training our
next generation in the sometimes, lost arts of decorum, civility and manners. Suzette Tucker Wimpy is the Director of Nashville & Williamson County Chapters National League of Junior Cotillions (NLJC). And she knows first-hand what our young people already know and are taught at home and also what they lack! Here is a bit of information for those who are not familiar with Junior Cotillion: Students enroll based on where they attend school. Suzette and her husband Kevin became involved in 2010 when they were asked to take over portraits for the Grand Ball held at Richland Country Club each year. They have two teenage daughters, who went through two years of the program. Suzette and Kevin were so impressed with the program that they told the former director they would be happy to take over if she ever retired. When that happened in 2021, they were trained and accredited by the national organization and the former director – and before they knew it, they took over!
“We love helping middle schoolers gracefully navigate through the social interactions of middle school. Our program trains sixth, seventh and eighth graders in all matters of manners, etiquette and basic ballroom dance. They learn how to do proper introductions, to escort and to be escorted, chairs, doors, table manners, writing thank you notes, appropriate dress and so much more,” explains Suzette. Suzette believes in the art of being a true gentleman. She says: “Being a gentleman is timeless. Good manners never go out of style. Gentlemen sit strong. They show respect for their parents and authority. Gentlemen rise when a lady excuses herself from the table and when she returns to the table. They escort the lady on their right arm. Above all, a gentleman treats others with honor, dignity and respect.” I could not agree more. So let’s get down to a few more questions. I know we can rely on this expert lady in the field to know the answer to:
“The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.” - Fred Astaire 72 | MAY 2022
