DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I are both doctors (myself an M.D., he a Ph.D.). Often when we receive wedding invitations, the RSVP card has a line that starts with “M” and then a blank, presumably to write your name, followed by the space to accept or decline.

I never know what to do. It seems wrong to write “Mr. and Mrs.” especially if the invitations were addressed to “Drs.,” but nor do I want to seem pretentious writing “Drs.” over it. I truly panic every time this happens! Help!

GENTLE READER: It is always interesting to see what makes other people squeamish. As an M.D., you are no doubt familiar with the phenomenon. Miss Manners herself has no qualms about crossing out a stray letter in the interest of correcting a careless form.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My new home happens to have a perfect spot for bonfires in the backyard. I mentioned to an acquaintance that I’m eager to host a summertime barbecue and bonfire, and indicated that guests would be welcome to bring their families. I assumed that roasting marshmallows around a bonfire would be fun for the children, and would save the parents the trouble of finding child care.

This particular acquaintance has two young daughters, ages 3 and 4. She responded by commenting that I would, of course, childproof my home in preparation for the event, and asked exactly how I would keep the children from the fire: Was I planning on a fence, or would there be supervision?

Actually, aside from the obvious, like ensuring that bleach and knives were out of the reach of the little ones, I hadn’t really planned on any childproofing, and have to admit that I had the expectation that any parents bringing children would take responsibility for watching them.

She does bring up a valid point: I have invited guests to bring their children, and therefore, it follows that I have an obligation to accommodate these young guests. On the other hand, I’m not running a day care.

I’ve clearly indicated the nature of the event to my guests, and believe that they may judge for themselves whether the event is appropriate or not for their young ones. It’s not unreasonable for me to expect them to assume that my childless home will not be fully childproofed, is it?

GENTLE READER: Your assumption is not unreasonable, although Miss Manners suspects your acquaintance would disagree. Unless childproofing appeals to you as a design aesthetic for your new home, your problem is not how to dispose of every conceivably dangerous temptation to small hands, but how to dispose of an already-invited guest.

The solution is to gently confirm her fears by agreeing that perhaps she is right that this is not a good event for children since there are so many things that you will not be able to childproof completely. It would be rude to rescind an invitation, once given, but your apologetic concern for her children can only be appreciated.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Ma’am, will you state an opinion about the public-address announcements that we all encounter? Is it as much of an aggravation to you as it is to me?

I hear so many nearly unintelligible loudspeaker announcements. No one has taught the speakers to account for echo.

They should speak in short bursts, one sentence at a time, pausing a single beat before they say the next. Think of a circus announcer, pausing before phrases -- not speaking 200 words without a pause. There is a time lag between their lips and our ears, and the echo must have a moment to fade before they continue. They can still speak rapid-fire, just break up the sentences.

I hear well-meaning people, maybe in an airport, maybe in a grocery store, enthusiastically doing their announcements speaking 170 words per minute. I wonder why it seems no one trains these people to speak in short phrases. Why is it not in every training manual?

Since I have never seen it addressed, I wonder if I am the only person whom it aggravates and who considers it to be downright rude.

GENTLE READER: Not everything unfortunate is rude. Miss Manners cannot be responsible for mere professional incompetence.

So this is not a topic she should address.

However, she has sat in enough airline lounges and subway cars, subjected to just that sort of incomprehensible babble, to overcome her resistance. So yes, she shares your annoyance. Whether it is the speakers who need more training, or the system that needs to be upgraded, something should be done to inform us poor folk of the next stop and the gate change.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My sister-in-law sent out a social media invite for a surprise party for my brother’s birthday. The problem is, she invited his twin to the party, but only made the party for her husband, not both twins.

The other twin immediately felt bad and left out, as it is, of course, both of their special days. I am not sure how to express these feelings to my sister-in-law without hurting her feelings.

GENTLE READER: Why should anyone have hurt feelings in this situation? Miss Manners sees it as a priceless opportunity for the omitted twin to become the star of the party. She can practically write his toast for him:

“I believe I am the person here who has known Dwayne the longest. I remember when we first met. The circumstances were strange -- it was a bit dark and crowded -- but I immediately recognized that we had so much in common. Plus I just liked the look of him. ‘Now there’s a face you can trust,’ I remember thinking ...”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is there both a maid of honor and a matron of honor in a wedding?

GENTLE READER: A wedding? Whose wedding?

That of a bride who has two close friends, one married and one single -- yes. Miss Manners should remind others that a wedding is not a show with roles to be cast, but a ritual with honors to be distributed.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I love to entertain. It is a labor of love to host houseguests, dinner parties, brunches and children’s birthday parties.

One thing that always leaves me stumped is what beverages to have on hand. We don’t drink much except water, tea, wine and beer in our home, and those seem to suffice for casual guests. But for a dinner party or houseguests, are there certain beverages that are considered basic necessities of a civilized home?

Just as an example, we don’t drink coffee, but houseguests sometimes do. Should I continue sending my dear husband to the corner cafe for the guests’ morning lattes, let them fend for themselves, or is it time to invest in a coffeepot (even though it would gather dust the rest of the year)?

And what to do about those quirky guests who only drink a certain brand of cherry-flavored diet soda, which could hardly have been predicted? It seems everyone has their must-have drink of choice. What are good hosts to do?

GENTLE READER: Their best. Reasonable hosts should have basics on hand -- and reasonable guests should politely make do if their choices are not available.

While it is not your duty to maintain a full-fledged bar or packaged goods store, it is, however, gracious to take note of what your more regular guests prefer and stock it when they come. And if a cheap but functional coffeepot is less effort and expense than your husband’s trips to the cafe, then perhaps consider that as well. Miss Manners is particularly fond of her French press, which she notes has many functions besides making coffee -- like brewing tea and straining shellfish. Although probably not together.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My wife and I own a motor home and frequently enjoy camping in the great outdoors at state and national park campgrounds.

The problem I have is with other campers who seem to think (or not think at all) that it’s OK to cross through our campsite on their way to the shower house, a trail, another campsite, lake shore, etc. These are children as well as adults.

As a young Boy Scout, I was taught that a campsite is a rather personal space and that I needed to ask permission to enter or cross through another’s site.

Can you recommend a way to enlighten these “trespassers” without sounding like a curmudgeonly old man telling them to “GET OFF MY GRASS”?

GENTLE READER: While not a motor homeowner herself, Miss Manners has it on good authority that you are indeed justified. Decorum and civility dictate that the parameters of your campsite be considered temporarily yours and should not be trespassed.

Rather than resort to barking at strangers, however, she advises putting a large object such as a picnic table -- or leashed animal -- near the border to help discourage traffic. You could also bring a few strands of rope lights to outline the front area of the campsite.

And if all else fails, you could always resort to staging homegrown theatrics in the form of a big blowout fight. No doubt, that will keep EVERYONE away.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)