What to do with the wedding gown in basement

DEAR AMY: I got married two years ago in a beautiful wedding gown. My mom did the bulk of the alterations, and it was perfect for the occasion (and she knows how grateful I am for all her hard work). After the wedding, I got my dress cleaned and preserved and professionally packed in an archive box. My husband and I are preparing to move, and I am revisiting my reasons for keeping this dress. What do women typically do with their dresses if they don't want them collecting dust in the basement for the rest of their lives?Grateful but PracticalDEAR PRACTICAL: Ask your mother if she has an interest in (and storage space for) your gown. She might be happy to hold onto it. Women who keep their wedding dresses typically do so for sentimental reasons or because they hope to see a daughter or another relative wear it some day. Women who don't want to keep their dresses sometimes burn them in the driveway (when the marriage doesn't go well), auction them online, sell them on consignment or donate them to a worthy charity, such as Brides Against Breast Cancer/

Making Memories Foundation

(makingmemories.org).

DEAR AMY:"School Secretary" wrote about her concern for middle-school students' lack of knowledge about using a telephone land line. I agree that memorizing important phone numbers and knowing how to dial a land line are good skills. I would add one more. When my daughters flew as unaccompanied minors, I bought them a phone card and taught them how to use a pay phone and a phone card and how to make a collect call. They are unique in their peer group to even know that there is something called a pay phone.Fellow LudditeDEAR LUDDITE: Now that your kids know how to use a pay phone, I wish them luck in finding one to use.