Many of us are truly at the end of our patience, and we would be so grateful to know how to politely head off the next diatribe ...
DEAR MISS MANNERS: An older relative is one of those totally honest sorts, and prides herself on both her wisdom and her willingness to speak her mind in any situation. She keeps lists of everything she dislikes about others, everything she believes they do wrong, etc., and recites those lists, often publicly.
She likes to be the center of attention, and that is certainly part of the problem, but I really believe that in her misguided heart, she thinks she is improving others and passing on pearls of wisdom. Of course, those of us who are frequent targets of her critiques feel insulted, bullied and humiliated.
How does one best respond to such verbal assaults? Many of us are truly at the end of our patience, and we would be so grateful to know how to politely head off the next diatribe about one more thing she can’t stand about us! I am tempted to ask her if she would like to hear my list of all the things I can’t stand about her, but suspect that putting her on the defensive would backfire badly.Suppose, instead, you said, “Oh, thank you, Auntie dear, for telling me. I will try to improve.”
And suppose each and every one of you repeats that exact same response to every insult. Miss Manners would be amused to see how long your relative can keep it up under that barrage.Why Tho? Last-minute party flakes may have received their final invitationAsking Eric: Friend who fancies himself a filmmaker looks for cash donations and free laborIf you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Miss Manners: Daughter’s boyfriend has rude and wasteful table mannersParents hate eating with their daughter’s rude boyfriend. Should they say something to him?
Read more »
Miss Manners: Our daughter’s boyfriend has lousy mannersAdvice from Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin.
Read more »
Miss Manners: Should I just put up with my daughter’s boyfriend’s bad table manners?My husband says that if we want our daughter to keep visiting, we should just let this go.
Read more »
Miss Manners: I miss my office friends now that we work from homeLetter writer misses when they would make friends at work before the pandemic.
Read more »
Miss Manners: I miss my office friends now that I work from homeI’m tired of having only virtual “friends,” who are probably not even who they say they are.
Read more »
Miss Manners: People glare at me because they think I’m shopliftingYes, I’m eating groceries I haven’t paid for, but there’s a reason.
Read more »