Cousin takes sides in family divorce
What do you suggest I do and how should I go about it?
-- Want to Make it Right
Dear Want: It is never a mistake, and never too late, to make amends. Don't avoid this, just because it is challenging. Doing so will further expand your compassion and ease your guilt.
You should reach out to this person, privately, and tell them that you've been thinking about them and that you feel sorry and want to apologize for comments that you and others might have made in high school.
Don't tell yourself that this person has forgotten verbal slights or bullying in childhood and adolescence. These events sear through a person, and even if they have moved on and prospered in adulthood, they won't have forgotten.
Dear Amy: I was shocked that you would suggest to "Heartbroken Mom" that her 13-year-old daughter might want to learn to play poker as a way to become independent.
I hardly think that gambling is a good idea for a young person.
-- Disappointed
Dear Disappointed: Poker is a card game, not a fast track to Vegas.
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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, 16650 Westgrove Drive, Suite 175, Addison, Texas, 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)
