I've come to realize that like any gift, a thank-you note is not about you, it's about the receiver. It's true that you should send one, but the thought behind it is what counts.
The woman in her first trimester is really getting the shaft when it comes to sympathy. She, too, is tired, nauseous and scared to death... and almost no one knows or knows why.
How did I get to be such a doormat? When did I develop such a deep-rooted fear of offending others? What caused me to place other people's needs ahead of my own? What did I think would happen if (horror of horrors) I were to actually displease someone?
Just because you've been getting away with a social gaffe for decades doesn't mean you shouldn't stop making it. By the time you're 50, you should know a thing or two -- or 25 -- about etiquette.
After working in England, Germany and the United States and hearing from friends who live all over the world, I've noticed a few places where modern American parents could use a bit of extra coaching.
Not knowing "who" and "how much" to tip can end up costing you more in uncertainty, embarrassment and cash. Here are commonly asked questions and also a General Tipping Guide when traveling in the United States.
There are plenty of ways that our collective disorganization is inflicting secret collateral damage all around us. You might never realize it the toll of too much chaos, but the people impacted and their overall environment certainly do.
On my wedding night in a beautiful mountain lodge that we had rented out for the occasion, my then 80-something Aunt Sophie called the front desk at midnight and asked if Frederic, the 26-year-old French chef who had just fed us a sublime meal and spent much of the evening dancing with her, could please come to her cabin to remove the spider she had just found.
Why is it that we feel everyone has to be alerted about everything about our lives? We have become a society of over-sharers. As if the me-generation wasn't self-involved enough, it has evolved into the please-look-at-me generation.
Somehow, over the last fifteen years, parents have increasingly embraced the idea that rules are for other people's children, and that bending them to make things easier in the short term is a good idea.
Perhaps I am just getting old. Maybe it's the new normal to arrive twenty minutes late, to arrange a meeting so you can spend its duration broadcasting to the world where your physical but not mental presence is and to never snail mail.
Being on all three sides of a guest list -- inviter, invited and uninvited -- can help children not only become more resilient, but also more conscientious and empathetic. It's up to parents to use parties as opportunities for chats about friendship, kindness, and etiquette.
I try to keep the conversation light-hearted at first, but once it's clear that my conversational partner is getting a little too light-hearted, I need to make sure that they know I'm serious about the fact that the blue tag hanging on my rearview mirror is mine.
From theme parks where dreams come to life to amusement parks that take your breath away, spending quality family time together has the potential for being quite taxing. Here are some polite suggestions for making your vacation memorable... in a positive way.
Red roses, really? You bought these online and didn't even go to a florist to hand pick them? That's the best you can do, boo?
Do you remember practicing your cursive writing on dotted and lined pieces of paper in elementary school? It's becoming a relic of the past, up there ...
Sometimes a well-meaning observation can just be annoying no matter the person's relation to you. Though we can't quite pull "My house, my rules" rank (you're still our parents after all), here is a list of six things you should never say to your adult children when you're visiting them.
Years ago, my parents went to dinner with the parents of my close friend. My mom and dad were of modest means and Close Friend's parents owned Impressionist paintings. At the end of dinner, my father -- ever the gentleman -- offered to pick up the tab for the whole dinner.
Parents always say they want their kids to be polite. Well-mannered kids are nicer to have at the dinner table when guests come over and they can carry on a polite conversation with a college recruiter or a potential employer down the road. But, like money, manners don't grow on trees.
Like three princesses, they sat ready to be served: hair perfectly set, one was in a pink dress, another in a lilac one and the third in a peach colou...
We all have our secret hopes and dreams, and I wouldn't be surprised if many of us share the same dream -- to be screamed at from Patti LuPone on a Broadway stage. Don't worry. You, too, can be as obnoxious as that audience member.
As etiquette deals with behaviors and interactions, etiquette also has something to say about contagious individuals traveling among us.
Sure, maybe you're a little cranky because you have yet to get your morning caffeine fix. But is that a good reason to treat everyone around you reall...
Maybe all children, not just Princes and Princesses, could learn a thing or two from Royal Prep Academy.
This year, instead of the usual resolutions, why not make gathering the family around the dining table -- working on manners and proper eating etiquette -- top of the list?
