This selection is in honor of my friend Kathy Feeney, who is taking the plunge this weekend and getting hitched to Jesse Chappell. Here’s some marriage advice for you both, all the way from 1880. Congrats, you crazy kids, you! 1880: How to Perpetuate the Honey-moon Continue your courtship. Like causes produce like effects. Do […]
Category: Marriage and Family
All about marriage and families.
What the Heck is Holding Me Back?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I was introduced to this gorgeous Vietnamese girl by a friend of mine. While she was here for a training course, we went out a lot and had a really good time. We had a few very passionate times together, especially on her last day in my country. We still keep […]
Dangers of Elopement
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My boyfriend and I are considering eloping. What advice can you find for us? Signed, Desperately Wanting A Dear Desperately Wanting: While I’m all for running off to the Tunnel of Love in Las Vegas, my advice is not really what we’re here for. In case you have forgotten, this is the […]
What is the Proper Age for Marriage?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What do you consider a proper age for a woman to get married? Signed, Considering A Dear Considering: So, my dear, you are thinking about taking the jump into eternal bliss. This is a very important decision for you to make, whatever age you are, so I’ve dug carefully through the […]
Etiquette for Engaged People
I’m just bursting with joy! My baby sister Jennifer Grotke and her wonderful guy Tony Perez announced their engagement this week, so of course I had to check out some advice for the recently engaged. This is from Lillian Eichler’s Etiquette in Public, first published in 1924. Congrats to the happy couple! 1924: Etiquette for Engaged […]
The Wedding-Day
This selection goes out to my dear friends Sarah Carter and Iain McPhie, who have a little event planned this weekend. The invite said something about “marriage,” so I decided to do a bit of research on the topic. I stumbled across this advice from J. R. Miller’s The Wedded Life regarding the much-anticipated wedding day, […]
“Can I, um, like, Marry Your Daughter?”
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What are the various older traditions (Victorian Era, for instance) for how to go about proposing? In particular, how and when to ask the bride-to-be’s father for her hand? Signed, Traditionalist A Dear Traditionalist: Ah, the 1880s. A time of proper manners and traditions. Who could ask for anything more? I […]
Brandon and Brittney Sittin’ in a Tree
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Will Brandon Boston and Brittney Chisolm get married and live happily ever after? Signed, Brittney A Dear Brittney: Yes! Oh wait, I changed my mind. No! Ah, shucks, I don’t know. Maybe you can decide for yourself, with a little help from Sex Behavior in Marriage, published by Charles A. Clinton in […]
Love is a Species of Drunkenness
This time I bring you an excerpt from the anonymously written book (I eventually found out the author was none other than composer Cyril Scott) titled The Art of Making a Perfect Husband. Cause if love is just a lottery, we still have a chance! A one in a million chance, but that counts, doesn’t it? 1929: […]
I Think My Daughter is Having Sex
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My child appears to be having sex. She is only fifteen years old. What shall I do? Signed, Dickie A Dear Dickie: I’ve been just waiting for a chance to use an excerpt from Dr. Edith Hale Swift’s Step by Step in Sex Education, which is written in the form of a […]