Thank you! Gracias! Merci!

For whatever reason, I get extreme interest out of reading the "Dear Abby" column that pops up on Yahoo!'s news feed. I have no idea the regularity of the column, but I click on it whenever I come across it. Some questions are ridiculous, some are thought-provoking, and some are irritating beyond the extreme.
This one, tonight, made me laugh out loud:
DEAR ABBY: Would it be a breach of etiquette to enclose a self-addressed, stamped (blank) thank-you note with gifts I plan to send to my grandchildren, since they do not respond when I mail them gifts or cards? -- GRANDMA IN MARSHFIELD, MO.
DEAR GRANDMA: I think it's a great idea as a last resort -- and no, it would not be a breach of etiquette to do so.
This is something that I grapple with regularly, because there are so many kids nowadays who don't write thank-you notes, and so many grandparents who expect them. Personally, I still write and mail thank-you notes, and I'm teaching Sydney to do it, too. It's a common courtesy, and one that should be afforded to someone who thinks enough of a person to buy a gift. (If I could change anything about them, I'd love to be able to send them via e-mail or text, rather than write and mail them by post. I kinda feel like I should be able to do that, especially since it's still a thank-you, and because there are so many people who don't do any thank-you at all.)
But this cracked me up specifically because Brian's mom is a stickler for thank-yous. And her grandkids rarely extend her the courtesy. (I, of course, insist that Sydney thank her for everything, and I always write a note.) For her, it doesn't need to be a thank-you note, but she does like some acknowledgement of a gift. A phone call is ideal, since she loves to talk, but even a text is looked on favorably. I applaud this grandmother who wrote to Abby about the notes, and I like her proactiveness (what? A new word!). I hope it worked for her. Because some grandparents will just stop sending gifts to kids that don't acknowledge them.