DEAR ABBY: My niece married a few months ago. A month before her wedding, I gave her a wedding gift of eight Waterford goblets in her pattern. Because I had purchased them somewhere other than where she was registered, I asked her twice if they were what she wanted. She assured me that they were "perfect." I also gave her a gift of cash. Several weeks after the wedding, she sent me a gracious thank-you note.
She recently informed me that the goblets I had given her were shorter than she wanted. She told me the store where she had registered would take them back and give her credit toward taller goblets for half the price I had paid. Then she asked me to pay the difference.
Abby, I love her dearly. I do not want to upset our relationship. But I am hurt that she thinks the gift she assured me was perfect is no longer good enough for her. I could pay the difference to save face, but I would be unhappy with myself for allowing myself to be manipulated. Is it proper etiquette for her to ask me to come up with the difference for a more expensive set of goblets than those I gave her? -- EAST COAST AUNT
DEAR EAST COAST AUNT: Your niece's greed is as crystal clear as the goblets you gave her. Stand your ground and refuse her attempt to flatten your pocketbook. Assure her that you love her and value your relationship, but breaking the bank for her to have taller goblets isn't in the cards. The responsibility of exchanging the goblets should be hers and hers alone.