Should I tell my partner he has food in his beard?

Annabel says Teddy has always had a medium-length beard that she likes, but she feels it’s her duty to gently tell him when food gathers there. Cakes, sandwich crumbs, grains of rice and eggs can collect in his beard; eggs are the worst. She worries about getting a smidgen of food on her face when they kiss and about him looking silly in public, and says she tries to be subtle and never to shame him in a group.

Teddy prefers a discreet nod or a code word and finds some of Annabel’s prompts early or harsh, which he says leaves him feeling belittled. He accepts people miss their mouth sometimes and draws a distinction between an innocent grain of rice and soup or egg. Their children now point it out too; he says public shaming makes him withdraw and that being compared to Mr Twit is triggering because he wasn’t allowed to read Roald Dahl as a child.

Readers are split.

beard, beard crumbs, eggs, rice, sandwich crumbs, kissing, public shaming, code word, relationship advice, mr twit