Dear Barb:
I am single father with two young daughters. I have just moved into a new neighborhood and met other parents with young children. We decided to arrange Saturday morning play dates with our children. We have been taking turns dropping off our children at different homes to play for a few hours. Things are going well except when some of the parents pick up their children they leave my home in a mess. My children have always been taught to pick up after themselves. Am I being unreasonable to expect other children to do the same at my home?
Ryan
Hi Ryan:
No you are not being unreasonable. Children should be taught to clean up after themselves, whether they are at their home or someone else’s home. Maybe when the parents arrive to pick up their children, you could tell them that the children will be ready in a few minutes after they clean up the playroom. I’m sure most parents would be receptive to their children taking part in this practice.
Dear Barb:
I have a beautiful wife and a beautiful sister-in-law. They both have great shapes and take good care of themselves. Last weekend my sister in law and her wonderful husband invited my wife and me to spend the weekend together, and it was a wonderful weekend. One of the subjects that came up was our health. My sister in law told us about her blood pressure. She was very concerned about it. Now, she is a beautiful woman and is in very good shape?she does not look anywhere near her age. When she was talking about her high blood pressure I made a comment about not to worry about it so much. My reason for saying this was so she would not get depressed about it. Was I wrong to say anything about it?
Big Red
Big Red:
Often people take offense when someone says “don’t worry about it,” as they see this statement as minimizing their concern. The more important aspect of this situation is making sure that she is under a doctor’s care, as high blood pressure can be a serious issue if left untreated, and signs may not always be visible. It sounds like you have a good enough relationship with your sister-in-law that you could discuss this with her. Ask her if she was upset by your comment and if she was, you could explain to her how you meant it.
Thanks for your question.
Email your questions to voice@voicemagazine.org. Some submissions may be edited for length or to protect confidentiality; your real name and location will never be printed. This column is for entertainment only. The author is not a professional counsellor and this column is not intended to take the place of professional advice.
