Customs, Etiquette and Manners

April 29, 2026

Can I Skip My Niece’s Graduation to Avoid the Politics?

A reader wants to be a supportive aunt at the Naval Academy commencement, but the prospect of political speeches has her gritting her teeth. My beloved […]
April 22, 2026

My Parents Are Obsessed With Food and Weight. Help!

A reader fears that her parents’ decades-long food fixation could jeopardize her efforts to keep her own eating disorder under control. When I was 10, my […]
June 11, 2025

My Best Friend Ghosted Me, and I’m Devastated. Help!

After nearly a decade of close friendship, a reader is hurt and mystified by the radio silence from a woman who was in her wedding party […]
May 28, 2025

I Am Struggling With Infertility. Can I Skip My Sister-in-Law’s Baby Shower?

A reader worries that a celebration for her pregnant sister-in-law, with whom she once commiserated about fertility woes, may be too much to handle. I have […]
March 5, 2025

Our Daughter Expects Child Care Even When Her Toddler Is Sick. Help!

A reader who has already contracted colds and the flu from her 18-month-old grandchild is flustered by her daughter’s indifference to her health concerns. My husband […]
February 19, 2025

I Found Pornography on My Husband’s Computer. I’m Furious!

A wife feels disgusted and betrayed after discovering a lurid image of another woman on her husband’s computer screen, and worries that he may have permanently […]
January 1, 2025

My Two Best Friends Started Dating Each Other. I’m Livid!

Feeling slighted after a former flame paired up with an old friend she met through him, a middle-aged reader cut off contact with both. So why […]
September 11, 2024

My Cousin’s Young Children Are Hellions! What Can I Do?

A reader is unsure how best to help a cousin she sees as a little sister but who so far hasn’t asked for any parenting advice. […]
June 26, 2024

Why Do I Have to Choose Between My Grandmother’s Funeral and a Birthday Party?

A reader’s brother-in-law is insisting that she accompany her children to his 1-year-old’s birthday party, even though attending would require her to miss an important funeral. […]
June 13, 2024

Living Out Loud Without Headphones Highlights a Public Etiquette Debate

Welcome to their conversation. (Or YouTube video. Or baseball game.) For people bothered by the liberal use of speakerphones, the public sphere can be a circle […]