Her thanks is not in the ‘male’
DEAR AMY » My husband and I have three young grandchildren who live across the country. We are seldom able to visit in person, so we use FaceTime to stay in touch.
Yesterday while chatting with the kids (all younger than 10), I mentioned that “the mailman” delivered their Christmas thank-you notes. I told the kids how much I appreciated their notes.
Off-camera, I heard my daughter-in-law say: “mailPERSON.” I was a little hurt and a lot irritated that she would correct me like that.
My intention was simply to thank the kids for their notes, not to become an example of how ignorant grandparents can be. Am I overreacting?
— Just Wondering
DEAR WONDERING » I have to laugh (a little bit) because for many readers, the headline here will be: Three
Children Reported to Have Written Thank You Notes. Story at 11!
So, this mom has done a good thing in teaching your grandchildren to express their appreciation in this way.
And it seems that maybe she can’t stop teaching, although her correction of mailman to “mail-PERSON” prompted another chuckle (from me), because I do believe that the correct and gender-free description of the person doing this job is either “postal worker” or “letter carrier.”
And you can understand why this is: MailPERSON, when spoken, sounds like “male person,” which sort of defeats the purpose.
I can understand why this failed correction rankled you, but I hope you will shake it off as the actions of an active and engaged mom.
DEAR AMY » I’m a retired health care professional.
Currently I work part time caring for the elderly in their homes and have been for about five years.
I’m responding to the recent question from “Worried,” regarding the home care workers they had hired to care for their 100-yearold father, who were then hitting the family up for loans and financial gifts.
It is well worth the money to perform an intensive background check on any person who one may hire, through an agency or not. If a caregiver starts asking clients about loans, etc., that person should be dismissed. There are plenty of us who would love to take their place.
Acquiring a caregiver via word of mouth is, in my humble opinion, still the best. Agencies do not seem to screen well.