DEAR ABBY: My mother-in-law's behavior is sometimes very puzzling to me. She will bake (or buy) some sort of pastry or dessert to take with her when invited to a get-together for a special occasion. (Birthday, anniversary, housewarming, etc.)
When the get-together is over, she always goes to the kitchen and packs up whatever is left over from her "offering" and takes it home with her. Trying to get her to leave even a portion of it is like pulling teeth!
I'm embarrassed when she does this in front of my family, or even her own children. My husband and I feel that whatever she brings to the home of another is a gift, and she has no right to take home even a part of it. -- CONFUSED IN MARIPOSA, CALIF.
DEAR CONFUSED: The leftovers should be left -- unless, of course, the host or hostess insists that the donor take them home. And by the way, when one takes a "goody" to the home of another, it would be very thoughtful to bring it on a paper plate, a box, or some other type of disposable container that need not be returned.