ArcaMax

But when bad things happen, Sandy is identifying with you. She is saying, “Grrrr. That sucks!”

Dear Amy: One of my husband’s brothers lives a few hours from us. We all love spending time together, playing games and talking until late at night and then waking up “together” the next morning.

Here’s our dilemma: My sister-in-law has kept all (and I mean all) of her grandmother’s furniture, including beds that only hold 3/4-sized mattresses. All of the beds in their house are small like this.

We would love to spend more time with them but have a very difficult time spending even one night in the guest bed.

While hubby and I are in good shape, he’s pushing 70 and we both still work and need to be rested and ready to go on Monday morning.

Hotels could be an option, but none of us on my in-law’s side of the family have ever done that (whether at our place or theirs), and asking my SIL to change her decorating style doesn’t seem like an option, either.

We love them and get along so well, but the sleep thing just doesn’t work for us. Any suggestions, or do we just suck it up?

— Cramped

Dear Cramped: Because this question has come in during the dark days of the pandemic, I’m going to assume that perhaps you are planning ahead for a time when in-home visits will be safely resumed.

Yes, find a comfortable nearby place to stay. Tell these family members, “We treasure your hospitality but as we’ve gotten older, we just need a little more space and privacy, so we’re going to rest our creaky old bones at the Rosebud Motel overnight. We’ll be back at the house first thing in the morning for breakfast.”

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