DEAR MISS MANNERS: A current real-life friend sent me a friend request on social media, and I accepted. I have regularly liked quite a few of this friend’s posts -- about half of them -- and even commented once or twice with something such as “That’s great!” or “Congratulations!”

Never once has this friend liked or reacted in any way to any of my posts.

We are both relatively active on social media, engaging with mutual friends, and neither of us posts anything controversial, bragging, or weird. I am aware that some of my posts may not have been seen by my friend, or that the algorithm may be somewhat responsible, but I cannot believe that all of my posts have been accidentally overlooked.

I don’t want to make assumptions or be petty about this, but I think it is human nature to be a little bit hurt. I feel very foolish continuing to like my friend’s posts while receiving nothing in response, so I have totally stopped. I refuse to ask my friend what’s going on because that would not be well received. What would you suggest in this situation?

GENTLE READER: Well, now you know how people feel when others do not acknowledge their invitations or presents.

Only you have not actually done anything for your friend when you distribute personal information online, so there is no etiquette violation when your audience does not keep cheering you on.

If you want to know how your real-life friend really feels about you, Miss Manners recommends making a real-life personal overture.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I sent my godson a card with a gift of money for his 17th birthday. He never contacted me to say thank you. His mom (my very good friend) called me about two weeks after his birthday just to talk and, during the conversation, thanked me for the gift of money.

This is not the first time this has happened, and I get upset each time. He, not his mom, should call me or send me a written thank-you. I feel it is the parent’s responsibility to teach their children this basic concept, but my friend hasn’t and it bothers me.

How do I approach wanting a thank-you from him, and not his mom, without offending my friend? He is a great kid and very well-mannered; however, I feel he is old enough to thank me himself.

GENTLE READER: You approach him. Understandably, you do not want a surrogate to respond to your present, so do not use that surrogate to register your complaint.

“Caleb, dear,” you say, “your mother told me that you got my check. But you’ve never told me if it was welcome. If I don’t get any direct feedback from you, I have no way of knowing whether you were pleased.”

Miss Manners suggests the use of the word “feedback,” because it is so familiar from social media. And she trusts that you are aware of the latent threat there.

(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’m a woman in my 50s with decades of professional experience working for high-profile individuals. I’m more international than many diplomats, as well as trendy and attractive, and apparently I can pass for five to 10 years younger. Nevertheless, I am overwhelmed with how ageism and sexism are affecting me.

In the last decade, my family dumped a gravely ill family member on me, I went through an atrocious divorce that left me penniless, and I raised my children with zero outside support. One of my children has been very ill for years, so we’ve been more on welfare than off, leaving me with an illness myself. I haven’t had a boyfriend in eight years, due to exhaustion and disinterest.

It’s become apparent that my expertise is no longer needed in a workplace as I can’t even get interviews, so I became a tech entrepreneur. I’ve never been so happy, and I’m thriving more than ever, but it’s early days and I’m still broke.

I try to be patient until people “get” me. However, I am delirious with rage at the number of ultra-arrogant men between 20 and 35 who try to dominate me at work. Younger women do it, too, but catch on faster, and I can handle the older men. It’s the young men with three to 10 years of experience under their belts (often composed entirely of fluff) who are mind-bogglingly condescending. I have quite literally no time to sit around listening to their bragging and bravado.

Life may have made me overly sensitive, but I have a fantastic therapist and work intensively on managing my emotions. I’m known for being very friendly, polite and fair -- so maybe these guys are taking me for an idiot?

I told one, whom I knew pretty well, “You are mansplaining, and it’s annoying.” He cried and we couldn’t work together anymore. I want to nip this in the bud as early as possible so we can get down to business. Got anything for me?

GENTLE READER: Yes: sympathy. But only with the caveat that, as irritating as these young men may be, you still have to be polite to them. Telling someone that they are annoying or making generalizations about their demographic is neither friendly, polite nor fair -- traits for which you claim to be known.

“Yes, I believe I just said that” is a way to show displeasure at “mansplaining.” Or a reminder that self-promotion, unless it is on behalf of (credited) shared victories is unseemly: “I believe that Marla was also involved on that project,” or “Oh, that was your golf score? I’m sorry, but I thought you were talking about business matters. Let us stick to that while we are at work.”

The business world is having a moment right now wherein it is addressing the historically dominant voices that have previously prevailed. Miss Manners hopes that your office will take advantage of the restructuring. If not, perhaps you can suggest it.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I find myself occasionally asked about what church I attend or invited to attend someone’s church that I have no interest in. I consider my beliefs to be private, and I definitely don’t want to get into a religious discussion about my beliefs or listen to an explanation of someone else’s religion. How do I politely get out of the conversation?

GENTLE READER: “Thank you, your church sounds lovely. I am happy with my current one, and if you don’t mind, consider religion a private matter. But tell me, how is your career in politics going?”

(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: As an environmentally conscious person, as well as fitness-oriented, I usually carry a stainless steel bottle of water wherever I go.

When visiting other people, is it acceptable to carry my bottle in with me to stay hydrated, or should I leave it in my car in favor of the host’s beverage selection?

GENTLE READER: The latter. Presumably the least any host can provide you is water -- in the original environmentally conscious receptacle: a glass -- so bringing your own is not only disrespectful, but also redundant. Unless you mean to suggest that what you carry around with you is more potent than water, in which case Miss Manners fears that your host’s offense may turn instead to deep concern.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When my boyfriend and I sit out on his patio with his 34-year-old son, the son spits incessantly. He doesn’t do this inside, only when we are outside on the patio.

Sometimes he is smoking when he does this, but he will do it whenever he is outdoors. He talks a lot and tends to dominate conversations. When he’s talking outdoors, he spits just about every time he takes a breath.

I’m trying to be more tolerant, but I am a little disgusted with this habit. I’ve also noticed it with other men throughout my life.

Do you know why some men spit like this? I hope I learn to ignore it, but if it ever gets to be too much for me, do you have any suggestions for addressing this habit? I’m afraid that someday, he’ll catch me in a bad mood and I’ll end up snapping at him.

GENTLE READER: What about screaming? Not at him, perhaps, but at the sight of a glob of saliva being propelled from his mouth? That should not be difficult.

Miss Manners does not understand why anyone would feel entitled to spit in front of others. Evidently it is not a medical issue, as it occurs only outdoors, so she hardly sees the point in ascertaining why -- the answer will likely prove just as awful and even more graphic.

With the current added dangers of being in proximity to another person’s emissions, however, one hopes the practice will become more rare -- and that his wearing a mask will help to protect you. As added incentive, your own mask might also stifle those screams.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I need your advice on how to approach my elderly neighbor. She sent her son over into our backyard to trim down two of our bushes. She did not ask permission to do this, and the bushes were clearly on our property, because her son had to go around her fence to get to them.

This bothers me because I had a stranger in my backyard, and now there is a huge mess. What is the most polite way to tell her this was unacceptable, and that in the future, she needs to ask my partner or me to trim our own bushes? I would have happily obliged, had she just asked!

GENTLE READER: “Your son may not have realized, but he was cutting the bushes on our property. We cleaned up the mess, but in the future, please talk to us before compromising our hedges without consent.”

(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.)