Please and Thank You

Saying or writing "Please and thank you" at the end of a request can be a sensible shorthand between an aging parent and a loving son, daughter or grandchild. The more old people depend on the busy young, the more important it is for the elderly not to waste time with extended exchanges so 'please and thank you' is an assumption, based on previous familial knowledge, that a simple request will be carried out without requiring a reply.

"Hi darling - could you pick up a book from the library - please and thank you - luvmum" to which the usual reply is "Yup, can do . . . luv" Two short emails, no time wasted and a request fulfilled. If all dealings with the elderly were as simple and as kind, it would be a happier world.

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