DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I attend our local university basketball games. Because he is hard of hearing, we are very conscious of the damage the excessively loud noise can do to one’s ears.

We both wear hearing protection at the games: him to protect what he has left and me to preserve the good hearing that I have.

I am very much bothered when I see young children, some only babies, who are in attendance without hearing protection. I know that speaking to the young parents would likely be seen as objectively intrusive by a busybody grandma, yet I strongly feel an urge to alert them to the damage that can be done to young ears.

Is there a rule of etiquette that speaks to this situation?

GENTLE READER: There is, and it prohibits you from telling strangers how to live their lives.

Miss Manners realizes that this seems harsh: One is allowed to yell or grab people to prevent them from being hit by a car, so why not something that feels — to you, from your own experience — no less threatening?

Unfortunately, there are enough bad things that could happen that if everyone were constantly coming up to us to tell us what not to do, we would be inundated. This rule does not apply to corporations, however, so you should feel free to express your concerns to the venue and the teams.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.