Advice from Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin.
I have a couple of friends who text me infrequently. Their texts are always things like, “You home?” “Whatcha doing?” “You busy?”
What do you suggest? How can I politely respond while indicating I’d like to know what the real question is? I like these friends, and do enjoy a drink, but I’d prefer to be asked, “Hey, want to go get a drink?”Just because you are home does not mean that you are doing nothing. If you want to arm yourself with an excuse proactively, Miss Manners suggests responding with “reading,” “cleaning” or “washing my hair,” as the case may be -- or an all-purpose “catching up” or “winding down.
It’s especially challenging if I’m dog-walking with a male friend and we stop to talk with other dog-walkers who don’t know our relationship. If I refer to “our” child, I fear the friendly dog-lovers will think the man I’m with is the father. A small concern, to be sure, but I want to appropriately give credit where credit is due.It is perfectly fine to say “my.
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