Offering gift suggestions in invitation is tacky
Dear Abby: My daughter’s third birthday is coming up soon. Because the new thing is sending out website-generated invitations, I have noticed that it is becoming common to include the child’s interests, clothing and shoe size, etc. in the invitation.
I’m uncomfortable about including this information because I feel that a child should be grateful for anything he or she receives as a gift. Am I too old-fashioned, or is this tacky?
Dear Young Mom: I understand that some parents try to save time by including the information you have described along with their party invitations, but frankly, it is tacky.
The parents of prospective guests should reply to the invitation by asking what gifts the child would enjoy or can use. If the invitation was issued online, the question can be asked via texting or email. However, a phone call is more personal and, frankly, more refined.
Dear Abby: I am a 38-yearold man who has never been married. I have been in three serious relationships, all of them with women who have children. Each time these relationships ended, I found myself heartbroken and traumatized. I experienced a kind of withdrawal because of the emotional bond I had with the children.
I have now decided to date only women who have no children. But my friends and co-workers say I’m being shortsighted and “closing the door to several opportunities.” Because of our disagreements, I find myself spending more and more time away from them, and more time alone.
Are my friends right? Or should I stick to my guns and keep looking for that special someone who does not come with a family attached?
Dear Montana Lonely: If you prefer to start dating women who don’t have children, that is your privilege. Whom you date is none of your friends’ business.
I agree that, by going in this direction, you might miss out on a lovely lady who also happens to be a mother. But because your sadness after your breakups had more to do with missing the children than the woman you were seeing, a change of pace might be healthy for you.
Write Dear Abby at Universal Press Syndicate, in care of The Columbus Dispatch, P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069; for a reply, enclose a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Or visit www.dearabby.com.