At first, Hamlet and the planets seem far removed from table manners. But social historians see close links between the Renaissance outlook and the rapid development of codes of behavior at the table.

Nowadays, it seems like parents don't want to teach their kids good manners anymore. When you go to a restaurant, it's not uncommon to see a child on their iPad or disrespecting their parents.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My mother-in-law and I have a good relationship -- fairly uncomplicated, if a bit surface-level. I’ve been married to her son for 11 years, and he and I have been able to ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What do you think about people who start scanning their items at grocery store self-checkouts and sending them down the belt before one has finished bagging one’s own items?

The daughter wants to transition to a cash bar instead. Dear Miss Manners: Our daughter is getting married in about six months. My husband and I told her that we would help out financially ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I are each attending high school reunions this year. We each had classmates whose parents we were close to at the time, and we’re wondering how to phrase a ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a young adult who bought a home in one of the highest-cost resort areas of the country — a purchase that strains me financially, but is well worth it. While I love my ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have endured too many unsatisfactory meals at restaurants, and I am ready to begin returning the food to the kitchen. I am unsure how to do so, especially if I am dining with ...

Dear Miss Manners: I’ve always tipped restaurant servers, hairdressers, pizza delivery drivers and manicurists, of course, understanding that most of these positions do not pay very well and the ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What do you think about people who start scanning their items at grocery store self-checkouts and sending them down the belt before one has finished bagging one’s own items?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Are there polite ways to refuse to participate in a video chat when someone tries to pass a cellphone to you? My brother-in-law and his wife are extremely involved in their ...