Ask Amy: Stepparent should fish for a blended relationship
— JC
Dear JC: The childish behavior in your family may have passed to the next generation. You … are pouting.
Your folks have anchored themselves to this particular tradition. They are eager to recreate times of togetherness. I suggest that you work harder to laugh about it, in a good-natured way, putting this into the category of bad “Dad jokes,” your Aunt Marjory’s molded Jell-O salad, and other groaning reminders of family traditions that seem absurd, silly, or pointless.
Instead of trying to replace this game, you could try to introduce a new game, to be pulled out after all of the questions about the Reagan administration and Madonna’s career have been answered, and all of the Trivial Pursuit pie pieces have been played. There are a lot of fun parlor games that are not trivia-oriented, and still encourage conversation and laughter.
I assure you, if you don’t laugh about this now, you will regret it later. Some day (hopefully well into the future), you and your siblings will be going through your folks’ stuff. You’ll pull out that well-worn relic and fight over who gets to keep it.
Dear Amy: “Hoping for Happily Ever After” was wondering about her daughter’s partner, who never says, “I love you.”
My husband of 20 years doesn't like to say, "I love you,” but shows me every day.
He keeps my car immaculate, vacuums, supports me in my work, brings me flowers for no reason, etc.
If she can't accept not hearing three words that are thrown out too easily, she needs to look for someone else. He deserves better.
— Feeling Loved
Dear Loved: I appreciate your take.
========
(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.)
©2020 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
