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Is it now standard to pay a service fee, kitchen fee, and 20 percent server tip when eating out?

Miss Conduct helps decipher post-pandemic restaurant math.

My stepchildren ignore their father. Can I help?
Plus: How to deal with some awkwardness around some friends and their vacation plans.

I am constantly asked to justify being an atheist
Must I defend my choices about religion?

We became phone friends during the pandemic. Now, I want to end the calls.

How do I put a stop to this routine without any hurt feelings?

MISS CONDUCT
None of my friends got me a housewarming gift. Is it because I’m single?
I’m disappointed that people whose weddings, babies, graduations, and new homes I have celebrated generously through the years have not reciprocated.

MISS CONDUCT
My divorced parents’ drama is causing grief for me and my wife
Plus, when to dial down the speakerphone use.

MISS CONDUCT
Friends keep flaking on me. They text about catching up, then go radio silent.
I suggest a plan and then they don’t respond at all. Why?

MISS CONDUCT
Parents, it’s OK to stop trying to solve your adult children’s problems. Really.
Feeling conflicted over issues in their lives? Set your boundaries and stick to them, Miss Conduct says.

More Miss Conduct Headlines

MISS CONDUCT

Is it OK these days to ask who one intends to vote for?

With certain groups having so much more to lose than others, this letter writer wants to find out who they are dealing with.

MISS CONDUCT

Should out-of-town guests be invited to the wedding rehearsal dinner?

In other wedding woes, what to do when adopted cousins are left off the guest list.

MISS CONDUCT

Is there any good way to respond to comments about your weight and body?

Miss Conduct has some thoughts on handling such situations.

MISS CONDUCT

My niece is marrying ‘the jerk.’ Do I have to go to their wedding?

We haven’t spoken since she moved out of my house. Plus, what a neighbor overhears from the day care next door concerns them.

MISS CONDUCT

For a condo board trustee, neighbors demand much time

How can I protect my time and better defuse conflicts?

MISS CONDUCT

What to do when a friend who ‘always thinks she knows best’ goes against your wishes

This friend broke my trust, and I was furious. Should I have gone along to get along? Plus: fired up about a gift.

MISS CONDUCT

Advice needed: My 40-year-old son visits us too much

But my wife says he’s always welcome. Plus, this long wedding reception includes cocktails and very little food. What to do?

MISS CONDUCT

Whose order should a restaurant server take first?

An old-school tradition suggests women should be asked first. Miss Conduct weighs in.