DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband of 30 years has a stepmother who thinks she will educate individuals about manners.
She has come to my home for my Easter meal yearly since we have been married. Yearly, she begins plating her meals whereas I'm nonetheless cooking and whereas different company are visiting.
They dwell an hour from us, and we have now been to their house perhaps 4 instances. One time was for dinner close to Christmas. I had drunk a pop within the automotive, and had the bottle with me once we entered their home, planning to place it in her recycling. She advised me how impolite it was to deliver a drink into her house. Then she served us the leftovers from her household’s celebration from days earlier than.
Greater than as soon as, she has embarrassed me by calling out my failings in her eyes. One time, she took me as a visitor to a charity occasion. I ate my meals with the right silverware, serviette on my lap — however then in entrance of her buddies, she advised me I wasn’t presupposed to eat your entire broccoli spear, simply the stalk.
One other time, my father-in-law advised me that I harm her emotions as a result of I'd not permit my 3-year-old son to play with an inflatable beer bottle.
I’m actually indignant that my husband won't rise up for me. He would by no means communicate up on my behalf as a result of he doesn't wish to be in opposition to her.
I keep away from her now, and I don’t go to his household features. However I’m caught on Easter: How do I keep away from her “classes” given to me in entrance of others?
GENTLE READER: Whereas she can not clear up your deeper marital issues, Miss Manners can at the least inform you how one can take care of these public corrections.
Smile blandly after she delivers a kind of diatribes, after which flip the smile towards the witnesses.
“I’m so lucky,” it's best to say, “to have a stepmother-in-law who cares sufficient to level out my each fault.”
DEAR MISS MANNERS: May you please share your opinion on a difficulty the place new instances could probably name for brand new protocols?
When sitting at a shared desk with others in a espresso store, restaurant or classroom, invariably some individuals plop their used masks on the shared desk in entrance of everybody, typically fairly near the meals and/or espresso of different company. Wouldn’t or not it's extra well mannered to place used masks out of sight in a handbag or pocket?
GENTLE READER: New protocols can typically be deduced from previous ones. Putting a masks on the desk can be like parking a handkerchief there after blowing one’s nostril, and may by no means be accomplished.
Miss Manners realizes that this can be meaningless until anybody occurs to recollect what a handkerchief is.
Please ship your inquiries to Miss Manners at her web site, www.missmanners.com; to her e mail, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or by means of postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas Metropolis, MO 64106.