Rings come with warrantees; friendship doesn't
-- Upset
Dear Upset: As someone who has cared for (and about) elderly family members, I want you to know that a person can fall and break a hip virtually anywhere, and under almost any circumstance. As a physician told me, "People fall and break their hips in hospitals, too."
The wrong response here would be for you and your brother to curtail your own movements and choices because of what other family member might do, say, or think.
If you want to see your mother, then see her. If you want to see her at Christmastime, then visit her then.
Don't tolerate name-calling, don't be intimidated by invective, and don't expect an apology.
Dear Amy: "Disconnected Father" was a divorced dad who corrected his teenage son's bad language, and the son retaliated by refusing contact with him for the last year.
You pointed out that parents and teens in the same household also have these problems, but they are so magnified when the parents are divorced. I hope this father doesn't give up on his son.
I was a pretty awful son when I was a teenager, and I'm glad my dad didn't give up on me.
-- Grateful
Dear Grateful: Sometimes, parenting is equal parts patience and persistence.
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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.)
