Mom up to her ears in kids dreads ‘date' with husband

2013-06-17 00:00:00


I would like to accept their kind offer, but two things are holding me back. First, I don't think they realize the enormity of the task and it feels like we might be imposing.


– Frazzled Mom with No Support



Dear Abby: In this season of graduations and weddings, I would like to urge the honorees to send proper thank you notes to friends and family who give them gifts and money. Time, money and preparation are put into these events, and the effect is spoiled when guests have to contact stores or scrutinize their bank statements to learn if their gifts were, indeed, received but simply not acknowledged.


Three lines are all that are needed: “Thank you for the –. I look forward to using/enjoying it when we entertain/grill/vacation/walk the dog, etc. Again, I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

If showing good manners isn't incentive enough, remember this: These are the people you will be inviting to weddings, baby showers and your own children's graduations and weddings in the not-so-distant future.

A little courtesy goes a long way.

– Appreciative in Hitchcock, Texas

Dear Appreciative: While letter-writing may always seem like a chore to some people, there are occasions when a written message is the proper means of communication. Acknowledging the generosity of others is one of those times. Failure to do so indicates that the person's gesture was not noticed by the recipient. It also indicates a lack of manners.

Dear Abby: How do you politely tell friends and relatives who are guests in your home that your computer and TV are off limits? Once they take control of the remote or the computer, they seem to go crazy and change all the settings to their preferences and never put the settings back when they leave! What can I do?

– Frustrated in Lewis Run, Pa.

Dear Frustrated: “Remind” any guest who uses your electronic equipment that it must be returned to your original settings before the person leaves your house. If you have already done that and it hasn't worked, then you must find the courage to say, “I'm not letting anyone use my computer or remote control because I have a hard time getting the settings back to where I put them after you leave.”

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