more about: relationships
Dad to Daughter’s Laptop: ‘Bang Bang, You’re Dead’
In the eight days since a fed-up North Carolina dad who shot up his teenage daughter’s laptop with a .45-caliber pistol uploaded a YouTube video that documents the incident, more than 25 million viewers—parents [...]
Should You Send a Gift to a Wedding You Can’t Attend?
This week’s etiquette question came from HeatherMLee, who must decline an invitation to her niece’s wedding because it is too far for her to travel. She asked: “What is the appropriate thing to do, [...]
Wanted: “He Is Such a Role Model for Men”
Over the weekend I was reading a story in the New York Times about Sheryl Sandberg, she of Facebook fame, Silicon Valley royalty, and—soon—more than a billion dollars. The article was about how Sandberg is [...]
Call Me ‘Mrs. Rockefeller’ (My Husband Does)
My husband is a reasonable man. After all, he generally can be counted on to agree with me when it comes to the big issues in life. For instance, we both believe that babies [...]
Mother in Law’s Lament: ‘They Left Me Out’
How do in-laws avoid hurt feelings? LostMom13 wrote to say she felt snubbed because her daughter-in-law’s family didn’t invite her to attend a christening. “My son and DIL were godparents,” LostMom13 wrote. “This was [...]
Five Battles That Aren’t Worth Fighting With Teenagers, and Five That Are
A highly subjective list, from this mother of three boys: It is not worth fighting over… 1) Wearing a winter coat instead of that flimsy springlike thing, even though it is 25 degrees. 2) [...]
How to Explain Why Mommy and Daddy Don’t Live Together Anymore: Blog It
I think the phrase we’re supposed to use to describe what happens when a blogger publicly reveals the most intimate details of her personal life is: “full disclosure.” But how do you describe the [...]
Manicures, Anyone? (How to Get Rid of a Tagalong Boyfriend)
A reader named idlemusings wrote to say it bothers her that one of her girlfriends always asks, before the two of them spend time together, if it’s OK for her boyfriend to tag along. [...]
‘Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That?’
I had the pleasure last week of interviewing etiquette maven Henry Alford, whose new book title is a question we’ve all wanted to ask: “Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That?” Henry’s focus [...]
Anybody Up for #BeNiceDecade?
Thank you, everybody, for weighing in during Real Simple’s Be Nice on the Internet Week with so many excellent suggestions about how to improve civility online. It’s hard to pick favorites from among your [...]
