Talkative woman begins giving her old friend the silent treatment

Dear Abby: I’m a busy woman. My friend “Adele” was calling me excessively on my cellphone. She would call up to three times every day, even when I was at work.

When I would take her call, she’d start questioning me, asking me what I was so busy with. At times she would lecture me about things she thought I should be doing.

Her perfectionism and nonstop phone calls were smothering me. I finally asked her, as graciously as I could, to please stop the excessive calling. Now she no longer speaks to me at all.

Do you think I have ruined this friendship, or is this something that will blow over?

— Smothered on

the East Coast

Dear Smothered: Adele should not have been calling you multiple times every day, especially while you were at work, which could have had a negative effect on your job performance. It was not rude to ask her to stop and to explain why.

Dear Abby: I sent a VERY nice watch to my grandson for his 23rd birthday. The first thing he did was have it appraised for value and authenticity. The second thing he did was let me know he did it. I am flabbergasted and somewhat offended.

Additionally, this grandson and his siblings seem never to have been taught the importance of a handwritten thank-you note. Am I wrong and oldfashioned?

— Not So Sure in the South

Dear Not So Sure: Not in my book. Good manners never go out of fashion. But don’t blame your grandson or his siblings for the breach of etiquette. Parents are supposed to teach their children the social niceties, and it appears theirs fell down on the job.