“A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman’s birthday but never remembers her age.”
― Robert Frost
My dear grands (especially grandsons),
I will lean on J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings series, to do most of the heavy lifting today. This is a post script of a letter written to his son, Christopher.
I recommend you take his advice seriously…trust me on this.
Love,
Papa
“P.S. Pity you forgot Mummy’s birthday (Tuesday last). Very few men, but practically all women set great store by dates and anniversaries. It does not follow that the men are wholly in the right about it!
Anyway as a practical lesson in the way to live and conduct one’s social affairs smoothly, this difference between the sexes is well worth remembering.
A man can avoid a lot of trouble for himself, and avoid giving much pain to others, by noting it–especially in the case of wives, mothers, sweethearts and sisters.
No great harm done, this time. But I had no father to point this out, and have learned the lesson I now pass on, only by troublesome experience. Bless you. Father.”
— The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien
The ONE THING 