Pregnant woman may be addicted to pain medication
If your sister-in-law is on pain medication, it will impair her ability to take care of her baby after birth -- and your brother should responsibly intervene. Don't try to please or bargain with your sister-in-law, and assume that she will respond poorly.
DEAR AMY: My question involves a specific social and, at times, professional situation that I have puzzled over for years.
Let's say I need to speak to a person already engaged in a conversation in a public area. (I would never walk into someone's office to interrupt). I don't want to interrupt their conversation, so I wait politely (on the periphery). I have found that many times the individuals who are speaking to each other simply ignore me. They see me there, I make eye contact with one or both of them, but they continue with the conversation as if I were not there at all. I feel like an intruder, and try to make a gracious exit.
I always come away feeling embarrassed and childish, wondering, "What did I do wrong?"
Am I missing some social code of conduct? -- Trying not to Intrude in Houston
DEAR TRYING: This is a common occurrence (I just experienced it myself). After standing awkwardly and unacknowledged for several beats, you should lean in and say, "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but Cheryl could you pop by my cubicle when you're done? I have a quick question for you." The person will either turn to you and invite you in to finish your thought, or will quickly acknowledge and follow up later.
DEAR AMY: The letter from "Grieving Sister" reminded me of when my father-in-law started dating soon after his wife died. My husband and his siblings were furious. Then their priest reminded them that their parents promised to be married "till death they do part" and that my father-in-law had kept this promise. Also, the happier their parents were in marriage, the quicker the man wants to re-marry. -- J
DEAR J: Very wise. Thank you.
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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@tribpub.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook. Amy Dickinson's memoir, "The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter and the Town that Raised Them" (Hyperion), is available in bookstores.)
