Hotel maid receives great tip from guest
She is a very controlling person. What she says goes.
I don't want to be a rude daughter-in-law. I expect my husband to deal with his mother -- not me.
Am I in the wrong? -- Southern Daughter-in-Law
DEAR SOUTHERN: Perhaps your husband isn't stepping in to correct his mother because -- in a basic sense -- your position is insupportable. The parenting lesson for YOU is to make sure your children understand that when they are at someone else's house, that person's standards should be respected. The general guideline is: "My house, my rules."
If your children are not behaving well at their grandmother's house, they should face the consequences of their behavior, which for them means their grandmother getting on their case. She should not punish them, but it is her right to correct them if they've crossed the line.
Your mother-in-law should not discipline your children at your house.
If you have any kind of beef with her, YOU should be brave enough to handle it, with your husband backing you up, if necessary.
DEAR AMY: Weighing in on the ongoing question of who receives leftovers from potluck meals, I've been part of a potluck group for 10 years. No hostess has ever expected leftovers. Sometimes they end up with leftovers, but no one ever expects it. For us, the only "rule" of potluck is to enjoy each other's company. -- Not a Potluck Princess
DEAR PRINCESS: There seems to be no solid "rule" on who gets to keep the food after a potluck meal. Your group's spirit is admirable
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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.)
