Modern Manners Advice for Your Social Dilemmas

My friend often reaches out with texts like "Hey! Are you free on Saturday?" The issue: I don't know whether she's asking if I'm free to hang out with her or if I'm free to dog-sit or babysit. And it's often the latter. How do I respond in a way that gives me the option to hang out but maybe not dog-sit?

- JENNA BUSH HAGER & TALIA PARKINSON-JONES

JENNA BUSH HAGER: Well, that's a lot of responsibility in a friendship. It's not very fair of her. I think you need to be transparent. You can write back and say, "Hey, if you're asking if I'm free to hang, I'm totally free, but I can't hang with the dogs."

TALIA PARKINSON-JONES: I'd tell her you can hang and you're really looking forward to having some fun.

JBH: You don't think she needs to transparently say that she can't or doesn't want to dog-sit?