20 APRIL 2002, Page 67

Q. My teenage daughter eats with her mouth open. She

claims that 'every single other person at school eats with their mouth open'. (She attends a top public school.) While we do not wish to blight every family meal with nagging, neither do my husband and I wish to be revolted by the sight of her churning mouthfuls. What should we do?

MW. Wiltshire A. A washboard stomach is apparently compulsory for teenagers, since teenage waistlines currently just skim the pubis in a Sodom and Gomorrah-style outrage. Once you have briefed a third party to communicate the fact that gulping in air while eating causes the stomach to balloon, you will soon see an end to the nuisance. This is why, since the dawn of civilisation, lips have been sealed during the procedure.

Mary Killen

If you have a problem, write to Dear Mary, clo 56 Doughty Street, London WCIN 2LL.