It’s perfectly natural to want to spend “alone” time with your daughter once in a while. But how can you do it without hurting your son in law’s feelings? A reader named Kathyee, who read about the topic in my “Modern Manners” column in Real Simple, wrote yesterday to offer a few tips: “In regards to the mom who wants […]
more about: etiquette
What Your Babysitter is Thinking
In this month’s issue of Real Simple, a reader wrote to say that her friend told her to find her own babysitter, instead of sharing. “You said this person was not being a true friend, and I completely disagree,” writes Gracie1220. “I am a babysitter,” Gracie1220 writes. “I have worked with children for ten years, and I was a preschool […]
Weigh In: Who Should Get the Wedding China?
A young mother dies when her son is 6. She had no sisters, so her brother’s wife packs away her wedding china. Thirty years later, after the boy is grown and married, the china reappears, causing problems. Here’s why: “After my husband’s mother died when he was six, (his aunt) held it for 30 years until she handed it down […]
Can an Interest in Pinterest Get You Sued?
I like to pin pretty pictures on my online bulletin boards as much as the next Pinterest user. And I love it when people “like” my choices or repin them. But not everyone feels the same way. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal raised the question of whether you can get into trouble for pinning images you don’t […]
The New Rules for Your Cell Phone at Work
When your cell phone accompanies you to the office, it’s no longer a toy. Make sure it acts like a grownup and doesn’t distract others from work. That’s a message we hear frequently nowadays, as people try to figure out how to politely integrate their new technology into the workplace. But what constitutes good manners? In a recent story in […]
What If One Friend Has Less Money Than the Others?
Say you plan – and pre-pay – a friends’ weekend getaway only to learn at the last minute that one person can’t afford to go. “Save me from being unduly rude!” wrote reader SJaneParker, who hopes she won’t be left footing the bill. Here’s the setup: “I and another close friend took on the task (happily) of organizing a college […]
Wedding Invitations: Who’s on Your Guest List?
This week’s etiquette dilemma comes from a reader named LaneyDunn, who is planning an out of town wedding. She wrote: “Please help! I need some direction about how to be tactful with my wedding invitations… “We are having a small wedding in Pennsylvania, though my fiance and I met and live in Charleston, South Carolina,” LaneyDunn wrote, adding that a […]
‘Waiter, There’s a Fly in My Undercooked Salmon’
I still the remember the only time, many years ago, when I dared to send food back at a restaurant. Two minutes later, the chef showed up at the table – with a cleaver. “What’s the problem?” he asked in a menacing tone. (Of course, when you are holding a big knife, any tone sounds menacing.) “The salmon is still […]
The Secret ‘Pleasures’ of Living Alone
If you live alone with no one to please but yourself, do you become an uncouth heathen, leaving your bras strewn about the kitchen, the TV blaring at high volume and the bathroom door open? This was the question raised a few days ago by a New York Times story headlined “One Is the Quirkiest Number.” I guess you could […]
Off Limits at the Office: What Not to Say
It’s a bad idea to talk politics at work, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Some reasons: –You never know who’s listening. –Not everyone shares your views; you risk offending colleagues who don’t. If someone dislikes you, it could hurt your career. –Office hours are for working, not for idle chitchat. These same warnings might apply […]
