ArcaMax

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a full-time, unpaid caregiver for my husband. My days are spent managing his doctor's appointments and medications, driving him, and making sure he is safe, fed and clean.

On her occasional visits, his daughter has nothing but criticism for me. What is the appropriate response?

GENTLE READER: To give the daughter ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a close friend who is getting divorced because her husband told her he didn't want to be married anymore. He "wants to be free." Of course, she is devastated.

She has asked my husband and me to join her, her son and the ex for dinner, saying she wants us to see him before he moves. I have already told her that I'm ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I participated in a vintage train excursion. At several points in the journey, the engineer stopped the train so that people could disembark to take photos and videos.

During one photo op, some enthusiasts beside me were chatting when a pair of Spielberg wannabes rebuked them, saying, "We're trying to get sound on this shot."...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Are there polite ways to refuse to participate in a video chat when someone tries to pass a cellphone to you?

My brother-in-law and his wife are extremely involved in their toddler grandchildren's lives and rarely go more than a few hours without contacting them. When we are out with the adults, one of them inevitably whips ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I've always tipped restaurant servers, hairdressers, pizza delivery drivers and manicurists, of course, understanding that most of these positions do not pay very well and the person is likely living off tips more than salary.

Within the last year, however, I have been told in several different ways, some not very subtle, ...Read more