Stop interrupting me! It bothers me

Dear Miss Manners: My partner, my sister and my best friend all seem to think it’s OK to interrupt me when I’m saying something. I was taught that it is extremely rude to interrupt and try very hard never to interrupt another person who is talking. They all know that it bothers me, but they still do it. I feel very disrespected, put down and offended when this happens.

I am rapidly losing my patience, and am afraid at some point I’m going to explode and tell all of them never to speak to me again until they can learn to let me finish a sentence.

Gentle Reader: One fortunate side effect of physical distancing, Miss Manners hears, is that the technical limitations of web conferencing have forced people to be more conscious of interruption. Miss Manners is hopeful that this mindfulness will carry over.

She suggests that you invoke this rule and practice with your circle: “I am finding it very difficult to hear or talk with all of us going at once. Perhaps we can take turns and make sure each of us is finished speaking.” If this fails, Miss Manners suggests that you stop talking and see how long it takes to notice.

Dear Miss Manners: My best friend since high school lives near our hometown, 2,000 miles from where I reside now.

Though she and I speak on the phone and text/email infrequently, we visit each other every other year or so and exchange lovely gifts.

In our teens and 20s, we were relatively close with each other’s families. When my father passed away, I flew home for the wake and funeral, and my best friend and her husband attended.

When the day comes that one or both of her parents passes, do I need to fly home for it?

Gentle Reader: If you are able to attend, it would be lovely, as a gesture of the past friendship. As long as you write a heartfelt condolence letter, that is sufficient.