Think carefully before confronting your cousin

Dear Annie: My cousin is a police officer in a neighbouring city, and we only see him when the whole family is together.

Recently, he was caught on camera beating up a woman he’d pulled over for something. From his statement and the camera footage, it seems the woman got mouthy and he responded physically. It was graphic.

We’re all keeping silent on this matter, and fortunately, it hasn’t spread all over the universe on YouTube or anything. But I’m really angry about it. We would never tolerate seeing a man attack a woman on the street. We would not tolerate my cousin hitting his wife. Why do we tolerate him doing this just because he’s a cop?

I’ll hold my tongue for another six months, but that’s it. I really want to suggest to my parents that we stop inviting him to family events, because I don’t want to seem as if I am condoning his behaviour.

If I were caught beating up a woman on the street, I promise youmyrelativeswouldnotwant me anywhere near their kids.

What should I do? Angry Cousin Dear Angry: We assume your cousin’s superiors are aware of the incident and have reprimanded or disciplined him accordingly.

Does he have a history of such behaviour? If this is the sole instance and he has shown genuine regret, please try to forgive him. This is what family does. If you need to discuss it with him, do so. But it isn’t your place to ban him from family gatherings if the rest of the relatives want him there. Your choice is only to attend or not.

Dear Annie: I am a 24-year-old college student who still lives withmyparents.Ilovethem and my two siblings very much, and I know that they love me.

However, they are neither understanding nor supportive when anyone makes a mistake. As a result, there is not much I feel I can tell them.

Usually, I can handle my problems by myself, but some things are difficult to handle alone.

A few months ago, I suffered a miscarriage. My father once told us that if we ever got pregnant before marriage, we would be disowned.

I realize parents often say things to scare some sense into their children, but I know my parents, and they would do it.

I have not told them about the miscarriage, nor do I plan to.

I am going through some emotional upheaval: sadness, anger, guilt for not taking enough precautions to prevent the pregnancy and a lot of confusion.

My boyfriend is wonderful, loving and supportive.

But I wish more than anything that I could rely on my parents and siblings for support.

Here’s a message to all parents, siblings and family members: Please let us know we can come to you for support and caring. Though you might be angry, try not to overreact.

When you fail to do this, it can have larger consequences than you realize. Grieving Dear Grieving: Our condolences on your loss. We think most parents would regret knowing their child felt too uncomfortable or fearful to come to them for support, and you might let them know this is the impression they give.

There are many support groups specifically for women who miscarry. We recommend SHARE at nationalshare.org.