Bored dad trades woman in for a younger model
My point is that the advantage-taking goes both ways.
Your father doesn't like to be alone. He doesn't want to do volunteer work. He wants to be with a woman. Based on his behavior so far, this seems like a core value for him. Furthermore, his pattern is to "take care" of a woman, and then perhaps to see this as a burden.
Your father is living his life. You portray him as a fairly shallow, bored (and possibly boring) man. But this is his life. You are not required to see his current partner as a family member, but you would be wise to get to know her.
Dear Amy: My daughter has my husband's extremely pale, Nordic appearance. In high school she had some darker-skinned friends of other races. Sometimes they would poke gentle fun at her for her whiteness, such as telling her she looked like a ghost in her bathing suit.
Although they didn't mean any harm (and she understood this), sometimes it bothered her. However, she felt like because she was white and they were darker, she had to take it with grace.
It isn't OK/PC to poke even good-natured fun at darker-skinned people these days, even if they are close friends, but doesn't that work both ways?
How should she respond if this happens again? I have another daughter coming up behind her with the same coloring, and she may face the same experience with her friends.
-- Bothered in CO
Dear Bothered: The heightened sensitivities surrounding -- well, everything -- has officially become exhausting.
Does this light-hearted and good-natured banter from friends really bother your daughter? Have you encouraged her to not let it bother her?
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