Never underestimate the power of good etiquette. A group that practices some form of etiquette tends to get along better, and that alone makes it worthwhile given how explosive teenage boys can get. It also allows a group of boys to do a lot more than a comparable group, as the group is able to act without thinking. This makes having some sort of code of conduct important.
Etiquette is more than just how you hold a cup of tea. It's a code of behavior that allows a group of people to interact with each other without getting too mad at each other. Table manners are an obvious part of it, as it allows people to eat at the same table without interfering with each other eating while at the same time allowing food to be shared. The same applies to when you can swear, how you approach others in public, and any number of other interactions.
For our purposes, it also affects how friends work together. Ever notice how different people greet each other? That's etiquette. The same applies to how things are shared, how you play video games together, even how you and your friends break up tasks. You have established a code of conduct over the years that works for you, and that applies to anyone you interact with. It's why new kids stand out so easily; they don't know to interact with the kids around them and that makes them obvious to anyone paying attention.
Up until now you've been dealing with relatively simple code. You're about to learn a whole new code as you begin interacting with new groups, and we're not just looking at when you start high school or with kids from other places. You're also going to be paying attention more to how adults interact and mimicking that, just as you are trying to figure out how groups of older kids work. You want to belong to those groups, and just like that new kid in a new environment you're trying to figure out what the local etiquette; if you can do that you figure you will belong to those groups.
Eventually you will be in those groups. You have a lot of rules to learn, but with any luck you'll figure it out. And figuring out that new etiquette is part of what makes puberty fun.
Etiquette is more than just how you hold a cup of tea. It's a code of behavior that allows a group of people to interact with each other without getting too mad at each other. Table manners are an obvious part of it, as it allows people to eat at the same table without interfering with each other eating while at the same time allowing food to be shared. The same applies to when you can swear, how you approach others in public, and any number of other interactions.
For our purposes, it also affects how friends work together. Ever notice how different people greet each other? That's etiquette. The same applies to how things are shared, how you play video games together, even how you and your friends break up tasks. You have established a code of conduct over the years that works for you, and that applies to anyone you interact with. It's why new kids stand out so easily; they don't know to interact with the kids around them and that makes them obvious to anyone paying attention.
Up until now you've been dealing with relatively simple code. You're about to learn a whole new code as you begin interacting with new groups, and we're not just looking at when you start high school or with kids from other places. You're also going to be paying attention more to how adults interact and mimicking that, just as you are trying to figure out how groups of older kids work. You want to belong to those groups, and just like that new kid in a new environment you're trying to figure out what the local etiquette; if you can do that you figure you will belong to those groups.
Eventually you will be in those groups. You have a lot of rules to learn, but with any luck you'll figure it out. And figuring out that new etiquette is part of what makes puberty fun.
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