Ask Mister Manners: Should we forever hold our peace about our niece’s wedding?
My husband and I just learned our niece is getting married — a detail the mother of the bride (my sister-in-law) let slip by accident. We have always been very...
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Ask Mister Manners: Who is supposed to call back when a conversation gets disconnected?
If I have called a friend and midway through our conversation we get disconnected due to a poor cell signal, whose responsibility is it to re-place the call? The original...
Ask Mister Manners: Do I have to ‘like’ my friend’s Instagrams?
I have a friend who only calls me when she's on a long drive and wants to pass the time. I enjoy catching up with her but not so much...
Ask Mister Manners: What can I do about a serial last-minute canceler?
I participate in a rotating monthly dinner with eight other women. One of the women in particular is making a habit of calling that month's hostess just prior to the...
Ask Mister Manners: Can I tell a friend her habits embarrass me?
I have a friend who is very dear to me. And although she's very intelligent, she has many bad etiquette and grooming habits — such as using her fingers to...
Ask Mister Manners: Is it OK to arrive late for a family Zoom call?
My brother is chronically late to everything — always with an excuse, usually some sort of transit woe. But during the pandemic, I have been annoyed to observe him arriving...
Ask Mister Manners: Can I block my family on my phone without feeling guilty about it?
Is it OK to "block" family members from calling your phone if they've disrespected you and treated you badly? Or is it better to be more family-like and leave the...
Ask Mister Manners: My friend is gone; should her Facebook account disappear too?
A friend of mine recently passed away, and I experienced an eerie sensation not long after when I received a Facebook notification reminding me of her birthday. Do you think...
Ask Mister Manners: Can a grandparent dictate how grandson spends his graduation money?
After finishing high school last June, my grandson took a year off, spending the pandemic doing not much but playing video games. He'll be starting college this fall, and I'd...
Ask Mister Manners: Is it OK to call out guests for not unmasking?
My husband and I got married this spring — a celebration we had to postpone not once but twice due to the pandemic. Although the gathering was outdoors and in...