The article discusses whether it's appropriate to tell a stranger their fly is open and criticizes the trend of placing books with their titles facing the wall on TV home decor shows, questioning the practicality and social awareness of such decor choices.
A shopper in a cosmetics store refused to hold a stranger’s place in line, leading to a disagreement about courtesy and etiquette, with the stranger accusing the shopper of being a ‘Grinch’.
A woman is upset that her in-laws, including her niece and her husband, did not give wedding gifts to her son and daughter-in-law, despite her extensive expenses on her own son's wedding. Miss Manners advises that reciprocity in gift-giving is expected but not obligatory, and suggests avoiding a lecture or confrontation, especially since the niece's response was rude. The woman also seeks advice on handling her friend's intrusive behavior regarding gifts, and Miss Manners commends her for being considerate.
A couple hosting a New Year's Eve family party feels taken advantage of as some parents drop off their children and leave, turning the event into a free babysitting service. They enjoy the party and want their kids to have fun but seek a polite way to ensure parents stay with their children. Miss Manners suggests creating a schedule for parents to take turns supervising the children, especially those who have previously left early.
A couple hosting a New Year's Eve family party is frustrated as some parents drop off their children and leave, turning the event into a babysitting service. To address this, Miss Manners suggests creating a schedule for parents to take turns supervising the children, especially assigning those who have previously left early to slots near midnight.
A couple hosting a New Year's Eve party is frustrated as parents of their daughter's friends have started dropping off their kids and leaving, turning the event into a free babysitting service. Miss Manners suggests creating a schedule for parents to take turns supervising the children, especially assigning those who have previously left early to slots near midnight, to ensure parental presence and responsibility.
Miss Manners advises a couple hosting a New Year's Eve family party to address parents who drop off their children and leave, effectively using the hosts as free babysitters. She suggests creating a schedule for parents to take turns supervising the children, especially assigning those who have previously left early to slots near midnight, to ensure fair participation and prevent the hosts from being taken advantage of.
A case manager at a law firm is frustrated by detailed questions from a receptionist at another firm and seeks advice from Miss Manners on how to politely avoid answering them. Miss Manners suggests saying, "She’ll know what it is about," assuming the receptionist is following instructions.
Miss Manners advises that a minimally thought-out present, rather than cash, is the way to go when giving a gift for a virtual wedding. The suggested gift amount for a normal wedding is $200, but for a virtual wedding, it may be less. It is important to show that the virtual wedding was still worth celebrating, despite the technical difficulties.