A stranger's suggestion brings on DNA dilemma
-- Concerned
Dear Concerned: My perspective is that you are right to be concerned. Whenever one partner dominates and demeans another and forms an exclusive relationship with one child, this creates an unhealthy family dynamic, and the entire extended family should be concerned.
You (and other family members) should make every effort to spend time with this younger family member, away from her parents, to empower her with the knowledge that she isn't alone, and that she always has other adults she can count on and turn to. You should also offer any and all support to the child's mother.
At this family event, the father and daughter should have been prompted to join the rest of the family.
Dear Amy: "Torn" should either stay away from her affair partner and work on her marriage, or get a divorce.
It's like me with high heels; I know they're bad for me and make me feel uncomfortable, but if I try on a pair at the store ... I'm buying them.
-- Now Flat-Footed Gal in Oklahoma
Dear Flat-footed: Great analogy. Thank you.
========
(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.)
