Lucylee, At Christmastime, we celebrated on Dec. 22, which was Ddil's b-day, too, at their home. We'd given each grandchild, who reads and is in school, Christmas money. I included a hand-written note with each gift. I was so embarrassed when I realized how our 10-year-old dgrson couldn't read long-hand.
I had no "clue" they no longer taught cursive in schools, as a rule now. Even older grsons have stated how they have a hard time understanding long-hand writing. I think how it's becoming normal to have it as a lost art now. It's saddening, too.
It used to be that high schools used to make sure you knew how to change a tire, write a check, balance a checkbook, and now, I'm beginning to think, why don't they put cursive handwriting on the graduating duties list before a Senior can graduate from school, too.
It seems a shame that only oldsters someday will be able to write with this lost art, but when you think how computers, cell phones, text messaging, emails, tablets, etc... are so popular now and almost the norm for many, it makes it more understandable. I seem to receive hand printed letters from a few new pen pals, from time to time, too. At first, I thought it was because it was easier for them to write that way because of their fingers or wrist, but now I'm learning it may be more a reason of they don't know HOW to wrist longhand. It's easy to read hand-printing, so I'm not complaining here, but I feel it's sad how something I learned in grade school's disappearing.
End of my soap box sermon now.