DEAR MISS MANNERS: My 11-year-old granddaughter wants to register online for birthday gifts for her party. I told her I didn’t think that was appropriate, especially for 11-year-olds.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a good friend who is the polar opposite of me on politics, religion and almost every other subject. We are cognizant of these differences, and refrain from debate or ...

Dear Miss Manners: What is the proper response to someone who is very vocal when you are driving, and not in a way that is helpful? For example, when I am driving us to a restaurant and we pull ...

Dear Miss Manners: My spouse and I frequently host meals for 10 to 20 guests, both personally and professionally. We have a debate over whether to put out spoons for meals when we are not serving ...

Mary McNamara is a culture columnist and critic for the Los Angeles Times. Previously she was assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment following a 12-year stint as television critic ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a number of friends I regularly ... Someone will just send the group a text saying, “It’s Bob’s birthday on Tuesday, so where should we meet?” ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the proper way to eat cherries with pits? Cutting them up to remove the pits seems excessive, but just spitting out the pits into a napkin doesn’t seem proper ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I loathe dogs, but I live in a dog-lover’s paradise. How can I let neighbors and strangers know that I don’t want to pet their dog or let it sniff me? “I’m allergic ...

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DEAR MISS MANNERS: Fifteen minutes after arriving at an informal family get-together at someone’s home, a relative took a phone call. She stepped out of the room where everyone was gathered and ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live near a university, and graduate students are always looking for odd jobs to make extra money. One of them does my laundry twice a week, and always returns it beautifully ...