more about: manners
Today’s Thought
Photo credit: Monica Buck/Paper construction: Matthew Sporzynski Get the daily thought in your inbox. See more inspiring quotes on our Pinterest board. What’s Hot on RealSimple.com 10 Beauty Shortcuts Never Forget Another Birthday 54 [...]
In a Jam? Try to Remember Everyone Else Is, Too
This week’s question, from a reader named Rongrong, is about highway etiquette: If traffic is backed up in an exit lane, is it OK to drive to the front of the line and cut [...]
Are Handwritten Thank You Notes Becoming Obsolete?
Part of me can’t believe I even have the gall to ask that question. My grandmother would be turning over in her grave if she read blogs. But the other night, at a restaurant where I was sitting at a big round table with six other women—a mix of old friends and new acquaintances—the topic of thank you notes came up and …
Why Do You Think I Want Your Hand-Me-Downs?
This is a question one of my friends is dying to ask her next-door neighbor. But she’s not sure how to pose it—or even whether it’s appropriate to ask—without sounding as rude as the neighbor who foisted the stuff on her. Here’s what happened:
Take My Apology, Please
I will come clean. I was terrified, when I became Real Simple’s etiquette columnist, because I feared being judged by a new standard when it came to manners. Specifically, people would expect me to have good ones. 
You Asked: How to Avoid Annoying Nicknames?
Today’s question was posted by stnipper, who wrote: My coworkers have shortened my name to Steph instead of Stephanie. Normally, I would care less. Except now my patients, students and other professional contacts are addressing me as Steph. How should I approach the correction?
Men, Manners, and Thank-You Notes
Of all the questions submitted by my Modern Manners column readers, one of the most frequently asked involves the ever-changing but (thankfully) undying art of the thank-you note. When is it necessary? When is it too late to send one? Is an email thank-you okay? The list goes on and on, but I have my own thank-you note pet peeve that I have yet to hear from one of my readers, so I thought I’d share it here:
