RSVP and send a Thank You!

With all the birthday party invitations my daughter has received lately it is hard to keep track of all the parties she is attending. So, when I get the invite, I check the calendar and write it down and I RSVP immediately. Or within the next 2 days. Especially if the parent is hosting the party at one of those party venues. They absolutely need a final headcount by party time.
We hosted my daughter's 5th birthday party at the local bowling alley. She invited a bunch of kids from her class including the little girl whose party she attended very recently. This girl's mother never called or emailed me to let me know if they were attending. Nor did 2 others from her class. And, I see one boy's dad at drop off all the time. He never apologized for never RSVPing to Allie's party! What is so hard about that? i even included my email on the invite. How hard is it to write a one sentence message? I guess it is really hard. But you know what? It is really rude to not RSVP to a party!
Which brings me to my second point. This same mother who did not have the decency to call also did not send a thank you note for her daughter's birthday gift. Shouldn't we be teaching our children to be gracious, kind children? Within the week, I had written 25 thank you notes and Allie signed them and then we mailed them. In the age of cell phones, Blackberrys, and computers, people have forgotten the power of the written note. No matter what the occasion, I always write a note, thanking the gift giver and letting them know how much I appreciate their generosity. If anything, people still like to get mail the old fashioned way. I find myself looking forward to the time of day when I walk down to the mailbox to see if anyone thought of me recently!
We have a friend who recently had a baby. I loaned the mom my old maternity clothes and I also sent them a huge bag of baby clothes that my girls have outgrown. In all this time, neither mom or dad called, wrote, or sent a smoke signal saying thanks for the clothes, it was a big help. Is it really that hard to show some appreciation? Sometimes i find myself thanking soomeone too much! My very best friends took me out to a really nice dinner for my birthday. I was truly touched by their generosity and I did not want them to spend so much money on me. But, after I shut down this computer, I am going to get out some pretty notecards and write them a note.