Dear Abby: My daughter-in-law insists on not covering my granddaughter while she’s breastfeeding in public and allows the baby to nurse with her breast partially exposed (although the nipple is not visible). I’m concerned this may have affected my son’s employment because she did it at a company-sponsored event, and he was let go a month afterward. His employers told him he “wasn’t fitting in.”
How can I get across to her that although the public breastfeeding movement is growing, it still isn’t acceptable everywhere, and she should exercise her judgment based on the situation?
Discreet in the East
Dear Discreet: You are correct that breastfeeding in public is gaining acceptance. There is nothing wrong with it. While you might mention your concerns to her, allow me to point out that there may have been other reasons your son was let go from his job. And one of them may have been that, indeed, he — not she — didn’t fit in.
Dear Abby: I recently moved in with my older sister, and so far, things have been great. I have met all her friends, and we have hit it off quite well.
When I meet her guy friends, they always comment on how beautiful she is and how they really like her. But then they’ll add a little side note about how “cute” I am. I don’t like being called cute while they call her beautiful. Am I crazy to be mad over this? Should I bring it up with her or let it all blow over?
Cute Sister
Dear Cute Sister: There’s nothing your sister can do to muzzle her male friends who probably think they’re paying you a compliment. I can’t see anything to be gained by bringing this to her attention because she’s blameless.
Because you feel you are being damned with faint praise, being told you are cute while they describe her as beautiful, the thing to do would be to tell them “humorously” they need to work on some new material.
Dear Abby: My husband and I were married a year ago. I personally designed and filled out the invitations and thank-you cards. About two months after our wedding, I asked my husband to mail the thank-you cards for me.
Today, I went into a seldom-used closet and discovered a box containing all of the unsent cards! I’m embarrassed to mail them out since they are a year late, but at the same time, I put a lot of time and effort into those cards. Should I send them now? And if so, how can I apologize for their tardiness since they are already sealed and stamped?
Newlywed-ish
in Connecticut
Dear Newlywed-ish: It is never too late to say thank you. Put the thank-yous in the mail, send a group email to those guests whose email addresses you have and call the remaining ones to explain what happened and apologize. These things sometimes happen, and if your friends and relatives are nice people, they will graciously accept your apology.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
