Growing Children

As you know I, with the help of my husband, are growing 2 awesome little boys.
We want to give them all the opportunities that we can, whether that is in education, sport or just plain old life.
One area that we are adamant on is their confidence.
We want them to be confident little individuals, we want them to feel they can do things, achieve things even give anything a go.

So we have been happy to let the boys go and pay for things on their own, allow them to order things on their own.
If they want more sauce when at Burger King then they go to the counter and ask for it. We have shown them how to do it politely, how to wait their turn and how to say that ultimate word 'thank you' when the action is finished.
It gives them the ability to speak up for what they want, know how to talk to people whom they don't know, not strangers but people in a situation that is controlled...shops, restaurants etc.

At the Fieldays that we attended, Alex asked for a Hot Chocolate. We happily gave him the money, showed him where the stall was and stood back and watched him do the whole transaction himself.
He patiently waited in line and when he got to the front the lady ignored him!

She had served the older lady in front of him and presumed that he was with her. She never asked him!
The older lady had stepped to the side to wait for her order and Alex had still stood in front of the counter, now ok we are talking about a mobile stall here so they had to look out and down to see him but he was see able even at his little height.
It took the older lady to inform them that he was not with them for them to realise that this little guy with a $5 note in his hand was there to order something, on his own.

Do kids not order things anymore? Do kids not get given the opportunity to do things for themselves anymore?
My parents taught my brother and I to be independent confident people and I am going to make sure that our 2 boys have the same.