Miss Manners: Peach problem could have been solved without dramatic clean

MISS MANNERS by Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

DEAR MISS MANNERS : We invited over some of my partner’s friends who all have young children. Our children are grown, but we adore kids.

We understand that kids make messes. We childproofed by moving breakable objects out of reach. We brought out a selection of toys for them to play with. We offered cookies and crackers, and fully expected to have to vacuum after their visit.

But one set of parents did something that left me flummoxed.

We have a fruit bowl in our kitchen that was out of reach for the small children. It was not on the table for guests to grab, like the other snacks, but guests could easily see it.

One of the guests wandered over, selected a peach and handed it to her toddler. The toddler then marc