Q Dear Miss Abigail: One of the difficulties of same-sex relationships is figuring out the etiquette of dating. Do I open the door or does she? Do I offer to pay half the check, even if she has asked me out to dinner? Who decides when it is time for the end of the evening […]
Category: Advice
All advice posts go here.
So So So So Sorry
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My uncle died last week and I just sent a sympathy card to his daughter. His daughter has two children (age 14 and 16) and I noted in the sympathy card that they were very lucky to have had such a great grandfather. However, I incorrectly called her children Amy and […]
Répondez s’il vous Pretty Please
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I recently sent invitations for a birthday party and indicated R.S.V.P., but no one has replied. Do they think it means regrets only? I thought R.S.V.P. meant to please reply. Can you tell me what it really means? Signed, Cindy A Dear Cindy: You are correct, my dear. Your so-called friends, […]
Is it Forward for a Girl to Call a Boy?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Is it forward for a girl to call a boy on the telephone just for the sake of conversation? Signed, Jon A Dear Jon: The results are in, and it appears that us girls should call you boys only if there is a dire emergency. Well, maybe it isn’t that severe, […]
How Do I Deal with Pesky Neighbors?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: You rock my web-world! Right on about the annoying marriage question ~ what a drag to be denied respect just because one’s status is single. My problem is that I live in small apartment building in close proximity to my neighbors. I don’t find any of them personally repugnant; however, I […]
Temper, Temper, Temper!
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Is it polite to throw things at people? Signed, Miss Kate A Dear Miss Kate: Hmmm . . . why do I think you already know the answer to this question? But just in case you need a refresher course in common sense, I’ve located the following excerpts: the first is […]
Hate the Late?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What do you do when someone is always late? Signed, Faye A Dear Faye: I think I have just the opposite problem. I always think I’m going to be late, but no matter how much I try, I am generally on time. How does that happen? Anyway, here are some interesting words […]
School Days
I spotted my first back-to-schoolers this morning. They looked so eager, with their empty backpacks and spiffy new clothes. Makes me want to stock up on my favorite Garanimals, just like the good old days. This one goes out to all the bright-eyed schoolchildren out there. It’s from M. Thelma McAndless’s handy pamphlet titled Manners Today. […]
The Blame Game
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My wife and I have been noticing lately that very few people apologize anymore for their mistakes, especially vendors who have given poor service or who have delivered a defective product. We think it is because people in general feel more beleaguered, and also because we live in such a litigious […]
Stop Cutting the Cheese, Please
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I have a little problem. I can’t contain my gas. In school I cut the cheese at least once every hour. Usually I go to the bathroom, but sometimes the teacher won’t let me go or I can’t get to the bathroom on time. Everyone laughs at me when I “fart.” […]