DEAR MISS MANNERS: A number of days after I received my brand-new, light-colored sofa, I had pals over with their new child.
When the dad began altering the child’s diaper straight on my new sofa, I rapidly supplied to place a blanket down.
He glared at me like I’d insulted him, and so they left quickly after. Was I unsuitable to supply?
GENTLE READER: New dad and mom are informed that their child is upset for one in all a really restricted variety of causes. The menu for the brand new dad and mom themselves could also be barely longer, however no good comes of your guessing the daddy’s look was meant to convey that you simply insulted their child by fairly providing a blanket.
Miss Manners prefers to assume the dad and mom have been drained or wanted to get residence for child’s bedtime, and are wanting ahead to their subsequent go to.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m scripting this on the twenty second of the month. My birthday was the ninth.
My auntie and mum had lunch on the nineteenth, and auntie gave my mum a birthday card to cross alongside to me (with a present card inside to my favourite bakery).
I’m going to go to my auntie in two days (the twenty fourth) and I intend to carry a handwritten thank-you card with me to provide to her in particular person.
My mum simply referred to as and stated I ought to name my auntie on my lunch break to thank her for the reward, as she hadn’t heard from me and was upset. I knowledgeable her I’m delivering a thank-you notice in two days. My mum stated I ought to do each, as auntie was very excited for me to obtain the reward and was upset she hadn’t heard from me.
Miss Manners, am I within the unsuitable?
My auntie didn’t mail the cardboard to me straight or prepare a time for us to go to and ship it to me in particular person. She had my mum act as a go-between to ship my birthday reward, properly after my birthday.
None of this upset me till I realized she was upset that I hadn’t expressed my thanks instantly upon receiving the reward.
I’m an avid thank-you notice author, and have been since I used to be a toddler.
GENTLE READER: So as an alternative of calling your aunt in your lunch break, you wrote a letter to Miss Manners?
Miss Manners is just not objecting; she is simply making an attempt to maintain monitor of all of it.
She realizes that this can attain you after the occasions mentioned. However she is getting extra such questions on commenting on thank-you letters whereas they’re in transit, so she is going to reply anyway — and never pay a lot consideration to issues of tense.
One current is given. One thank-you is distributed. And one thank-you is obtained.
You don’t have to ship one thank-you by each know-how now in existence or hereinafter invented. And you don’t want to take cognizance of people that let you know that different individuals are unreasonably upset — besides, maybe, to make just a little further fuss over them if you see them at lunch.
Please ship your inquiries to Miss Manners at her web site, www.missmanners.com; to her electronic mail, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or by means of postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas Metropolis, MO 64106.
