Before my grandson William was one year old, his mother was already training him to say please. When William wanted something, she reminded him, “Say please,” and he responded by making a circular motion on his chest in the manner of American Sign Language. What can be the advantage in teaching a child who is still working on “Mama,” “Dada,” and “Nana” how to say please when he can’t even really “say” it? All around the world parents devote much time and literally thousands of repetitions to teaching their children good manners. Politeness is the social grace and the slippery grease that lubricates our personal interactions. Without politeness the painful…