Gifts, to me, are not a chore and not an obligation. If I get a thank-you card, it is nice, but I do not see any obligation ...

Dear Miss Manners: Why is it that people see it as mandatory to send a thank-you for a gift? It seems like people give gifts ...

GENTLE READER: It was to avoid the knives being used to attack fellow diners -- or at least to lessen that possibility.

With a written note, certainly a parent must stamp and address it, and perhaps hover over the child to inspire them to write.

To explain further, let me tell you how I give gifts. I have a large family that is pretty far-flung. Some years I’m in touch ...

GENTLE READER: It was to avoid the knives being used to attack fellow diners -- or at least to lessen that possibility.

In today's Miss Manners column, advice columnist Judith Martin responds to if digital gratitude teaches the right lessons ...

If I get a thank-you card, it is nice, but I do not see any obligation on their part to send me one. I got my reward already.

With a written note, certainly a parent must stamp and address it, and perhaps hover over the child to inspire them to write.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I meet new people and tell them where I earned my bachelor’s degree and what my plans for the future ...

What she has apparently not taught is that it is not enough to send a mere receipt, such as a rote text, which is probably ...

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or ...