When I was growing up, I would write thank you notes to my friends and family at least twice a year, especially after receiving a barrage of birthday gifts. My mom and I would sit at the kitchen table and write out thank you notes. It felt good to be involved in the creative process, and nurture my relationship with relatives. When we visited them it was also great to see the posted notes and thank you’s displayed on their refrigerator.

In a recent study, Harvard psychologists found that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. As a mom, I am often shocked at the lack of thank you notes that I receive in the mail. With the popularity of social media and the digital age, many forms of etiquette regarding thank you notes has reminisced.

After celebrating a recent birthday, and receiving several gifts from close relatives for my daughter’s 4th birthday, I decided to try something different. Usually we send a quick text message or make a phone call. However, I recently learned about TouchNote, a mobile app that allows you to create a card on your phone that will sent via mail to friends and family. I’m excited, because I am able to still have a sense of etiquette but use the time saving method of technology.

When is the last time you’ve written a thank you note? Though I’m excited to implement this new found service, the question is how will the person send me a text as a thank you, or will they implement the same service? Now, teaching your kids etiquette and leading by example is more doable than ever.