Ask Amy: Family stress and fighting upsets teen
Dear Amy: I am a regular reader of your column. Thank you for being up to date on the coronavirus situation. I am being as careful as I can possibly be in terms of protecting myself, and since March 15 I have secluded myself in my apartment.
I am 91 years old and very active. Before this secluded period, most days I would be out and about somewhere in my new car every day.
The other day, a friend of mine delivered some groceries to my outside deck and I went to the sliding glass doors and went out onto the deck while she stood out on the lawn and we conversed.
I had on a mask but pulled it down with my rubber gloves (which I had just sanitized), to talk to her.
She phoned afterward to say that she was concerned that I had touched my mask with my soiled hands.
Amy, why do people do this? And how should I respond?
-- Air Hugs in Nebraska
Dear Air Hugs: People do this because they are anxious and afraid. All of us are trying, in a variety of ways, to control something that is invisible and unpredictable.
This friend has been making efforts to take care of you. The response from you should be - "Thank you for everything you are doing, and thank you for your concern. I'm doing well. I'm feeling great, and grateful."
Once you say these things, you can hang up the phone, take a deep breath, make yourself a cup of tea, and daydream about cruising in your new car. It will happen.
Dear Amy: Thank you for calling out the couple signing their letter "Too Close." They were excessively selfish for insisting that their friends needed to immediately attend to their needs, regardless of the current health crisis, which places everyone at risk.
-- Sheltering
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(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.)
