Elderly woman defends her right to drink
I was speechless when she told me she wanted us to purchase groceries for this meal, but I told her, "Well, we can just go out to eat."
After we got off the phone, she texted me about how excited she is for our visit.
Should I tell her I'm hurt by this selfish behavior, or just let it go?
-- Puzzled Mom
Dear Mom: Why does your daughter get to say exactly what she wants, but you don't get to respond honestly? Are you so afraid of rejection that you don't dare draw a very reasonable line?
Ask her, "Are you hurting financially? Honestly, at this stage of your life, I am bewildered, and I believe you should be embarrassed, by asking us to pay for groceries for one meal during our visit. What is up with that?"
Yes, I do believe you have enabled this behavior. And now you will have to find a way to re-balance your relationship, so that she can start to behave like a grown-up.
Dear Amy: "Crystalized" made a joke when a guest tipped over her good crystal: "You broke it, you buy it! Just kidding." Then her guests went crazy!
Amy, she was joking. I am so sick of people who can't take a joke!
I thought it was hilarious.
-- Funny
Dear Funny: "Crystalized's" guests took her comment as a jumping-off point for a lively discussion regarding who should pay for breakage. This seemed to offend "Crystalized," who stated that she was "horrified by their comments." She seemed the overly sensitive one, to me.
========
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
