DEAR ABBY: I'm planning to host a dinner party next month and invite a few of my friends. I plan for this to be a "girls' night." (We are all between 18 and 23.)
My problem is that most, if not all, of my friends live with their cell phones attached to their ears! As can be expected, most of the calls have to deal with boy drama. I'd like for the evening to be free of all that. How can I politely let my guests know that I'd prefer they don't answer calls at the dinner table? -- POLITE HOSTESS-TO-BE IN TEXAS
DEAR HOSTESS-TO-BE: When you issue the invitations, tell your friends it will be a cell phone-free, ladies-only dinner party. Then, if anyone brings one, you're within your rights to ask her to turn it off, and no one should be offended. (It's called "heading them off at the pass"!)