Ask Amy: Maid of Honor doesn’t say yes to the dress
Dear Amy: We believe our daughter's partner has a drinking problem. When he’s around alcohol, he occasionally overindulges.
The most recent occurrence happened when my wife and I were away from home for the evening, and they were at our home.
When we left the house, I had a six pack of beer and a bottle of rum, both of which were gone when we returned at the end of the evening.
We have a history of witnessing bad behavior from our daughter's various partners.
We don't want to completely lose our relationship with our daughter and grandchildren, so I'm at a loss of how to bring this up without seeming to attack her judgment and further alienate her from us.
We could simply hide the alcohol, but do you think we should discuss this with him alone or with them as a couple?
– History of Miscommunications
Dear History: You don’t actually know who consumed all of this alcohol. (Your daughter might have done her part.)
You might want to contact both your daughter and her partner and say, “After you were at our house the other night, we noticed a six-pack of beer and a bottle of rum were gone. Did you guys have a party and not invite us?”
Generally, you should assume that any family members staying in your home will help themselves to consumables – unless you’ve expressly asked them not to.
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