{"id":5383,"date":"2026-07-25T08:36:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T08:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5383"},"modified":"2026-07-25T08:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T08:36:27","slug":"miss-manners-they-seem-to-think-my-home-is-some-immersive-instagram-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5383","title":{"rendered":"Miss Manners: They seem to think my home is some immersive Instagram experience"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DEAR MISS MANNERS<\/strong>: Lately, I\u2019ve noticed a lot of my friends really<\/em> want to visit my house. They tell me all the time, and some even invite themselves over.<\/p>\n

Read more Dear Abby: Should I write an erotic memoir for my children to find when I\u2019m gone?<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never experienced anything like this before. My home is nothing special, but I get the feeling that my friends think it\u2019s a magical place.<\/p>\n

For background, I\u2019m a crafty person, and a bit of a social butterfly. Over the last few months, I\u2019ve made a major effort to combat my loneliness: being more friendly, building relationships and relearning the in-person social skills that have eroded in the internet age.<\/p>\n

For these reasons, I think my friends are under the impression that my home is an extension of the welcoming, comforting vibe I try to foster as a person. They think they\u2019ll find a fun, creative and colorful theme park, instead of a 370-square-foot studio apartment with bare walls and a bunch of clutter.<\/p>\n

I love my apartment; I\u2019m proud of living within my humble means. I want to have a friend or two over every so often, and can handle an occasional relaxed visit, but I want it to be on my terms.<\/p>\n

Right now, I feel like the expectation is that I provide some sort of immersive and social media-worthy pop-up experience that my friends should have access to on demand. In reality, all I have is a quiet, cozy home for one, which I shouldn\u2019t be made to feel ashamed of.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m on the verge of just making the place as messy and disgusting as possible, then throwing a party to nip the whole thing in the bud, but I\u2019m wondering if Miss Manners might have a better solution. Maybe one involving manners?<\/p>\n

GENTLE READER:<\/strong> Yes, that would be preferable to a disgusting apartment meant to deter the friends you have worked so hard to procure.<\/p>\n

Read more LeBron James spurns Warriors for 76ers in free agency saga. Here\u2019s what it means.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Since you stated that you do not mind having one or two over, why not start with that? Invite them individually, over time. If your apartment is as unimpressive as you say, Miss Manners is sure that word will spread. Better that than germs.<\/p>\n

DEAR MISS MANNERS:<\/strong> I volunteer at a center that provides free tax prep for seniors. I am the greeter, and am really tired of people\u2019s arrogant and rude behavior to me.<\/p>\n

I have received rude and nasty remarks from way too many clients. I\u2019ve been told, \u201cGet on your feet, honey,\u201d and \u201cThis is women\u2019s work\u201d when asking people to fill out a required form.<\/p>\n

Please help me deal with this issue. Why people think it is OK to behave so rudely to a volunteer \u2014 not that people should be rude to anyone \u2014 is confounding.<\/p>\n

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GENTLE READER<\/strong>: It is counterintuitive, as well: Since this is a free service, they need you more than you do them.<\/p>\n

Etiquette does not require you to tolerate such behavior, Miss Manner assures you. A shocked \u201cI beg your pardon?\u201d is warranted, as well as the polite suggestion that if these offenders are unable to perform the necessary tasks without insult, they may want to look elsewhere for their services.<\/p>\n

Whether or not you get on your feet to help them is up to you.<\/p>\n

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Vehicle fire sparks 10-acre blaze near I-680<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why are they trying to wangle an invitation to a tiny apartment?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nMiss Manners: They seem to think my home is some immersive Instagram experience - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5383\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Miss Manners: They seem to think my home is some immersive Instagram experience - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why are they trying to wangle an invitation to a tiny apartment?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5383\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-25T08:36:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5383#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5383\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Miss Manners: They seem to think my home is some immersive Instagram experience\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-25T08:36:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5383\"},\"wordCount\":637,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5383#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5383#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5383\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5383\",\"name\":\"Miss Manners: They seem to think my home is some immersive Instagram experience - 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