ArcaMax

Dear Baby Boomer: The practice of giving money to newly married people is very old and quite common in some cultures. This couple is not "begging" for money; they are answering the question that many friends and family members ask, which is, "What can we get you?"

This sort of "registry" has become much more common recently, as tastes and lifestyles have changed. Some couples set up actual honeymoon registries where guests can treat them to specific experiences while they are on their wedding trip. Some ask for honeymoon money and (I assume) pay their utility bill or wedding expenses with it.

If you don't want to give money to this family, then don't. Being registered for something specific does not make the registry mandatory -- it is merely there to help guide guests toward giving a gift the couple would like to receive.

Dear Amy: "Dad-D-Flat" had a daughter who wanted to stop her piano lessons. I agree with your advice and the music teacher you quoted in your answer to allow the child to stop playing.

However I would also suggest the child should have to continue the lessons until the end of the school year. Letting her quit immediately is rewarding her bad behavior. Setting the time limit teaches the child to finish rather than quit. -- Experienced Dad

Dear Experienced: Excellent advice. Children who want to drop a sport or other extracurricular activity should be prompted to finish out the current season (or sessions), so that stopping is less like quitting, and more like simply not signing up for another session.

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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@tribpub.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook. Amy Dickinson's memoir, "The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter and the Town that Raised Them" (Hyperion), is available in bookstores.)