Hey Y'all,

Ahhhh... the south, where the tea is sweet and the accents are sweeter! Am I right?

I don't know about y'all, but I feel so lucky to have been raised in the south. From day one, I was taught to be a classy southern lady and looking back, I wouldn't have had it any other way!

Here are a few things that I learned from being raised in the south, and still practice today:

1. You were taught to ALWAYS greet an elder by Mr./Mrs. followed by the last name, unless instructed otherwise. (Those are just manners people!)

2. You were expected go to church EVERY Sunday, unless you were literally dying. Heck, you probably had to go a couple times on Sunday, and Wednesday evenings too.

3. Your first four words/phrases that your mama taught you were: yes ma'am/sir, no ma'am/sir, please, and thank you (and if you ever left one of these out, your mama gave you get a look that could kill! (I'm in my 20's and I still get that look)).

4. You probably heard, "If you can't think of anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!", like 20 times a day.

5. SEC Football was almost as important as church... I said almost.

6. When you went to a school dance, you could hear a voice in your head saying, "Leave enough room between you and your dance partner for Jesus." Let's be honest, it was your mama's voice....

7. Going to Target/Walmart was a weekly.... okay, maybe daily thing.

8. You could put a positive spin on anything you said as long as you ended it with, "Bless it!"

9. For girls, teasing your hair was something you learned at a very young age... The higher the hair, the closer to God.

10. You always smiled and waved at anyone you passed, regardless if you knew them or not ( that's just southern hospitality people).

11. You never really escaped your parents' sight.... they had eyes all over the town. You better believe that if you were doing something you shouldn't be, by the time you get home your folks knew!

12. Ladies, you probably all had a G.R.I.T (girl raised in the south) t-shirt.

13. Sweet tea is the water of the south.

14. Northerners will always be "Yankees", and talk with a funny accent.

If you were raised in the south, I hope that you smiled and nodded along while reading this list. If you just clicked on the article because you wanted to experience what it was like to be raised in the south, then I hope that you enjoyed a glimpse into the southern life. These are just a few things that come to mind when I think about the way I was brought up; they are some of the most pertinent. Sure, we may get made fun of for the way we talk, but I couldn't be more proud to be a product of the south. WE are one big happy, sweet and blessed family. I am proud to be a G.R.I.T!