Miss Conduct's Blog

Monday CONTEST: Holiday song parodies!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:48:14 -0500

Hanukkah Harry help us all, the radio stations are already playing Christmas carols, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet! If you can't beat 'em, join 'em -- with Miss Conduct's First Annual Holiday Song Parody Contest. The prize will be...

Response to "Too-friendly boss"

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:50:46 -0500

More than almost any other kind, I think workplace-related questions tend to make people project their own situations on to the letter-writers' dilemmas. Last Thursday's question about a boss who has started to intrude on his employees' lunch hour was...

Thursday question: Concert etiquette

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:21:44 -0500

An interesting question. How does one balance the Apollonian requirements of etiquette with the Dionysian elements of a live music performance? Not that that's how the letter-writer put it, of course: Recently, I had the good fortune to attend a...

Chat Wednesday at noon

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:37:22 -0500

Come by and join us! Miss Conduct on proper etiquette: Nov. 18 at noon...

Response to "Stop kissing my baby!"

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:48:47 -0500

I can't always predict what will get people going, but I've figured out a few things: nomenclature (ma'am, sir, miss, etc.); smokers; anything at all about religion; and germs. Are we a madhouse of Purell worshippers, or taking reasonable precautions...

Get your holiday questions in now!

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:41:39 -0500

I'm sure many of you will be facing various social dilemmas this holiday season. If you already have an idea of what they might be, it's not too soon to send them to missconduct@globe.com. We put the magazine to bed...

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Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:41:39 -0500

Response to "Toddlers on the T"

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:42:46 -0500

Last week, we looked at the question of whether or not it is rude for parents to let toddlers have their own seat on the subway. The original question mentioned parents "putting [toddlers] on their laps and allowing someone else...

Thursday question: Too-friendly boss

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:44:59 -0500

Today's lovely question sounds like it's straight from an episode of "The Office": My boss, in an apparent effort to promote friendship, has decided to eat lunch with his staff (three of us) daily in the company cafeteria. The first...

Response to "Potluck freeloaders"

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:58:03 -0500

We had general and overwhelming agreement that last Monday's LW who was bothered by a "freeloader" at a neighborhood potluck (who mowed the LW's lawn for no charge) needed to get a life. Ashley put it amusingly: The fact that...

Response to "Thoughtful gifts"

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:57:19 -0500

Lots of good responses to the request for good holiday gift ideas. The original suggestion came in from a reader who recommended the gift of a snow-removal service for elderly relatives, and so, unsurprisingly, a number of people chimed in...

Monday question: Stop kissing my baby!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:17:36 -0500

One thing I like about running questions on my blog is that I don't have to edit them, as I do when I write the column for the magazine. Certain letters really ought to be published as they were received,...

Thursday question: Toddlers on the T

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:40:42 -0500

Today's question brings up an issue I've noticed myself: I've noticed that on crowded subway cars, a lot of parents will allow their toddler-aged children to sit on their own seat rather than putting them on their laps and allowing...

Chat Wednesday at noon

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:46:01 -0500

I'll be chatting this Wednesday from noon to 1pm here. Come join us! Miss Conduct on etiquette and proper manners...

Response to "What is respect for the elderly"?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:55:18 -0500

The question of what is meant by "respect for the elderly" got sidetracked a little, I fear, by the fact that it was originally inspired by a letter about dealing with bigoted relatives. No matter how much I wanted it...

Response to "Put a leash on it!"

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:54:40 -0500

Way back in the mists of time we addressed a question from an LW who was troubled by a man in her neighborhood who walks his dog off-leash and doesn't pick up after it. Everyone agreed that the neighbor was...