David Bruce’s life is a triumph of perseverance in the face of great obstacles. Rising from a background as a misunderstood, hyperactive child with learning difficulties, he is now an author and business success. Even though he felt empty and isolated for the first half of his life, he now is filled with gratitude for his faith, family and mission to help children.

Growing up in an dysfunctional household and bullied in school, David Bruce says, “I was like Jack Bantam in my book Manners I. Care. Dis–con–nec–ted. I always felt hurt, scared and desperate for attention and approval. It was a big year if I had one friend, a good day if I was only a little rejected. I felt everyone else knew how to make friends. But not me.”

“There are tens of millions of kids today who can identify with how I felt growing up,” states David Bruce. “Whatever their circumstances, no matter how many times they feel misunderstood, alone, afraid or rejected, they need to know that they’re not alone. If they feel like they’re not good enough, I understand. I want to break down that invisible wall that separates them from others.”

The characters in the book Manners I. Care are just like most children’s classmates, only more whimsical:

• A hyperactive boy
• An attention–getting skunk
• A know–it–all giraffe
• An in–crowd girl who keeps people away by teasing too much
• Two fussy bugs
• A shy elephant
• A superstar athlete

The very characters that annoy in the book become friends in the end.

“I annoyed people a lot,” David Bruce states, “So I know first hand that good manners make a difference. The social skills for caring and sharing can be learned and are fun.”

In Peter Benson’s book [1], All Kids Are Our Kids, research shows that children with more developmental assets win. Kids with the least number of developmental assets exhibit a 25–47% chance of experiencing serious personal and social problems. But kids with the most developmental assets show only a 1–6% chance of those problems becoming serious. Benson is President of Search Institute, a national organization that generates knowledge through research and promotes its application to advance the healthy development of children and adolescents.

Many of Benson’s developmental assets are included in David Bruce’s book, Manners I. Care, as “fun to learn tools:”

Developmental Assets Include

Support	Positive communication, Adult relationships
Boundaries & Expectations	Adult role models, Positive peer influence
Empowerment	Valuing youth, Service to others, Safety
Commitment to learning	Achievement motivation, Reading for pleasure
Positive Values	Caring, Responsibility, Restraint
Social Competencies	Decision making, Interpersonal competence
Positive Identity	Self–esteem, Sense of purpose, Positive view

In spite of his high marks in business abilities, because David Bruce was in the lowest group of developmental assets, he turned his computer career into chaos with poor social skills. His attitude was, “If you don’t care, I don’t care.”

David Bruce gradually learned social skill tools, joining the group with the most developmental assets, feeling alive and valued.

He gratefully adds, “Others gave me mercy, social tools and steps to help me make friends. When they shared their love and their faith with me, I started to feel lovable. I learned to care, to look, to listen, to ask and to share.”

David Bruce states, “Good manners give us the ‘fun to learn tools’ to safely care first, in an ‘If–you–don’t–care–I–don’t–care’ world. With these tools, we can cope and even succeed. Whenever we care and share, others often do too. When I read the papers, I wonder if the whole world isn’t starving for someone to care and share first.”

He stresses the importance of keeping the message of caring and sharing both positive and uplifting. David Bruce says manners need to be fun, so children want to be:

• Free from acting out, feeling sad, angry and hurting others
• Free from time out, being alone, and feeling rejected
• Free from criticism, hurt and yelling
• Free to heard, understood, trusted and valued
• Free to dream, explore and make good choices
• Free to play more, enjoy family and receive rewards
• Free to be respected, appreciated and, most of all, loved

Bruce comments, “Parents, with little time, need to give ‘fun to learn tools.’ Manners I. Care is loaded with them and they are easily absorbed in the fun at Great Manners Hall. A companion curriculum activity book is coming soon to offer more “fun to learn tools.”

Only years later, after asking for the help from mentors, did David Bruce’s switch to real estate become a success.

David Bruce states, “Kids need mentors. Please mentor a child you love. I ask parents and grandparents to mentor. You know the value of good manners. Please give the good you’ve been given. Out of gratitude for all I’ve been given by God and others, I give now to children around the world. None of that means anything until someone put their arm around one child and says…

“You’re worth it.”

Manners I. Care mentors Jack Bantam in the book. He tells Jack, in the end, “Amazing! Your caring! Your sharing stands tall! The great ones have names hanging high on the wall. And there yours is greatest! You care most of all!”

He says, “I wrote Manners I. Care to help my three kids, but I discovered it helps others as well. To my surprise, it helps me greatly, too. I care and share more. Once I was like Jack Bantam, but now I want to be like Manners I. Care. He really is the King of Manners.”

“My mission now is to help kids. All kids want friends, and the ‘fun to learn tools’ can be given them. I hope you’ll help.”

David Bruce believes all children need to care, share, make friends and reach their potential. He gives 100% of his after–tax royalties, up to $10 million, to support charities helping kids that need extra caring and sharing, including:

• Abuse & Neglect
• ADD & ADHD
• Adoption
• Alcohol & Drug Prevention
• Autism
• Bullying & Crime Prevention
• Character Education
• Disabilities
• Foster Care
• Literacy
• Mental Health
• Teamworking

He also created Manners I. Care, the Traveling Show to reach the children with the same message of
caring and sharing in another very fun way. The show appears at major events, schools, libraries, bookstores,
malls and other stores.

David Bruce lives outside Los Angeles with his wife, their three children, one cat, one dog and one goldfish.

David Bruce is available for interview.

For further information, contact David Bruce at 310/809-9515.

e–mail: davidbruce@mannersicare.com

[1] Benson, Peter L. 1997. All Kids are Our Kids. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers