'Dear Miss Manners' Forum

embarrassed to be with family or friends who have no manners 
I love my sister-in-law, but I hate taking her out ANYWHERE. She has absolutely does not have any manners.

From dining out to attire, to conversation ...

College graduation etiquette 
I will soon be graduating from a two year school with an associate degree. I am already working on my four year degree and will graduate again in 2012....

Ettiquette when providing a safe, warm place to stay for the night 
This is a question about hosting, but not the normal, social hosting. This is about hosting people who need a place to stay for a night or some number ...

What should one do if her date abandons her at a formal where she does not know anybody?  
Dear Eunice

Thank-you for making such a lovely website! I have been a reader since this February and really enjoy integrating your suggestions into ...

How do I answer, is he/she your boyfriend or girlfriend? 
I'm a teenager at the first year of university. I´ve been dating a friend of mine for about two weeks. We´re becoming closer to each other and I think ...

Graduation vs. Baptism 
My son will be graduating at the end of May. I have an extremely large family and we live in far away places. I have a sister flying in from Alaska and ...

Reunion Co-Chair 
I am planning a dinner to be held during a 50th class reunion at a 7 Sisters College. We want to let classmates and their guests know that this is not ...

Declining an Invite 
Is it ill mannered to decline an invitation to an event based on the price? For example, rather than declining the invitation by just saying, thanks but ...

Attending Wake Of Someone You Do Not Know 
My husband believes that it is not appropriate for someone to attend the wake of someone that they did not know personally. I was under the impression ...

Difficulty in "complimenting" a woman 
I met a really attractive and intelligent woman at a party a few weeks ago. It was a public event at an art gallery. She was a high school teacher in her ...

Interruptions during a class 
I am in a short finance class. It is only 5 weeks and there is much to cover. During class one woman constantly interrupts to ask questions that often ...

Rude Behaviour 
My stepdaughter came on a international vacation with us to a timeshare. While she was there she decided that she would like to purchase a dog.
We were ...

Husband does not want to attend my Grandfathers funeral 
Let me start by saying my husband is a nice sweet sensitive guy. BUT he works construction and will be off work next week so he does not want to take Wed-...

Do not want my kids to play with the neighbors kids 
We just moved into a new neighborhood. My daughter (7)ran into a girl she rides the bus with while we were at a neighborhood yard sale.

Being desperate ...

Manners Today: Declining An Invitation With "I'll Pass" 
Isn't there a much more appropriate and gracious way to decline an invitation rather than " I think I'll pass"?

This says I am not interested or I don'...

I should be told I'm on speakerphone, right? 
I was talking to my ex-husband about a situation regarding our adult daughter. During the conversation he put me on speaker phone, with out telling me,...

Lack of reciprocity 
My husband and I entertain quite a lot, both at intimate dinners and fairly large parties. These are neither overly formal nor very casual events, but ...

How to acknowledge a Co-worker's loss  Not rated yet
A co-worker's Grandfather died recently and I told her that I was sorry for her loss. She replied with what are you sorry for? This took me back and ...

Borrowing Books?  Not rated yet
If a person goes to the Texas Gulf coast on vacation, and starts reading a book found in the condominium, and doesn't finish the book before it's time ...

Uninvited Guests - Frustrated at Organizing Dinner Parties  Not rated yet
Dear Miss Manners,

I just want to clarify that I am not the "bad person" here. I recently held a small family dinner party for my husband's birthday....

Telling the harsh truth VS. Telling a fake lie to be nice  Not rated yet
How do you respond if someone asks you ?do I look good in this outfit? or ?does my hair look good? and you honestly think it's obvious it doesn?t look ...

Etiquette of Clapping  Not rated yet
Last night I watched a gala at the Kennedy Centeer. I was appalled when Mrs. President Obama clapped with both hands for all of the people being touted,...

How do I say no to family members asking to give money to buy others Christmas presents? And is it really okay?  Not rated yet
Christmas is just around the corner and I love, love to get gifts for my family and friends. I guess you could say I am the ultimate gift giver. I place ...

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