Dear Christine,
WHAT DO YOU do when you’ve invited someone to dinner for a particular time and they do not turn up at the appointed time?
Is it rude for guests to keep their hosts waiting for, let’s say, as long as two hours before they make their appearance? Yet they want to blame their guests for going ahead and eating without them.
I think this is utterly out of place. Would the host be wrong in any way?
– B.A.
Dear B.A.,
There is the saying that manners maketh man. I see no reason why a telephone call could not be made simply saying “I am running late”, or “Go ahead and eat without me”.
Some people do not realise the rules of etiquette. A simple telephone call can make all the difference even when a person is running late for an appointment or a meeting of some sort. Parents should also impress it upon their children to make regular contact with them when they are out and are coming in late. This helps to take pressure off parents and guardians who are sometimes waiting and are on edge.
I am amazed at how children go missing for days, do not make any contact with their parents and then turn up, sometimes without offering an excuse or explanation concerning their whereabouts.
– CHRISTINE