Dear Eric: I have an ongoing disagreement with my very polite and well-mannered husband. When we enter a venue together (restaurant, store, etc.), he opens the door/elevator door to let me through and then holds the door open so that at least two or three people and sometimes large groups of people, can walk in ahead of him.

He then follows them, and I am significantly ahead of him. Therefore, I often stand off to the side/wait or move forward/wait.

For example, I often wait for a while at the hostess stand of a restaurant while he makes his way to the same location. I would appreciate standing next to him as we enter a venue. It also feels awkward waiting for him in such situations. Should courtesy require getting the door/holding the elevator door open for strangers or moving forward with his wife so we can enter together?

– Manners

Dear Manners: His politeness is so extreme that it’s come around to being impolite back to you. One wonders how far he’s willing to take this. At a certain point, one stops being a random nice man and becomes a restaurant’s volunteer doorman.

If he won’t stop holding the door to groups following you, you can decline to enter without him, stand next to him as he holds the door, and you could both become restaurant doormen together. Perhaps this act of polite “solidarity” will show him the mannerliness of moderation.

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Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.