Dear Mary…
Q. Could you give me some guidance on how to keep my parents’ and acquaintances’ opinions about my single life to themselves? At 32, unmarried without children and happy about it, I hear a regular chorus from the parents and assorted people: ‘You ought to get married sometime soon’; ‘Shouldn’t you be finding a wife by now?’ etc., etc. As if I could just pop down to Harrods this sunny afternoon, pick up a sweet young thing without a second thought, maybe even find a nice one off the rack at a 10 per cent discount. How can I let them know that their opinions and helpful suggestions are of no value to me, without ruffling any sensitive feathers?
D.V., Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
A. Explain to the well-wishers that you have taken a considered decision to delay matrimonial commitment until your late thirties or early forties.
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