Grandfather cut off over sound advice
Dear Abby: I have been in my second marriage for almost 20 years. My wife came with two grown children, who each have two kids. I have tried to be the best family man I could, and a father and grandfather who treated them like they were my own.
My wife’s daughter “Diana” recently disrupted everything after I gave her daughter (my granddaughter) some financial advice after she graduated from college. Diana not only went off on me, but also lied to her children about me and has shut me and my wife out of their lives. I’m crushed and trying not to lose the relationships with Diana’s kids. I don’t feel I did anything wrong. The advice I gave was sound and nothing a professional would disagree with. Please advise.
Hurting from Helping
Dear Hurting: Because Diana refuses to discuss the matter, the breach she has created isn’t fixable. If you are successful in maintaining a relationship with the grandkids, you may eventually find out what set your wife’s daughter off. In the meantime, accept what has happened and do your best not to allow it to further disrupt your lives.
Dear Abby: Like a lot of people, I’m working from home. Today I was completing a complicated procedure between calls from customers and getting conflicting instant messages from my supervisor and manager. I exclaimed a cuss word and suddenly got an IM from the manager saying I shouldn’t cuss. Was I in the wrong here?
Caught in Texas
Dear Caught: Yes, you were. If you did something during business hours that you wouldn’t do at the office, you shouldn’t have been doing it at home.
Dear Abby: Unlike the rest of my family of omnivores, I have been a vegan for decades. Without fail, every time we get together and go out to eat, whoever made the reservation chooses a restaurant that serves nothing I can eat. So I end up eating just bread and a small dinner salad. I’m not asking that we go to a vegan restaurant, just a vegan-friendly place. Advice?
Hungry Vegan Guy in California
Dear Vegan Guy: Provide your insensitive relatives with a list of restaurants to choose from that are more accommodating to your lifestyle. Nothing will change until you speak up.