Dear Abby: My stepdaughter “Annie” gave her husband a photo album documenting his life for his 80th birthday. The album also included photos of Annie's parents and grandparents, as well as photos of Annie's first marriage to her mother. She posted one wedding photo and two more photos of the loving couple posing. She included several photos of me, even though her father and I had been married for over 40 of the 80 years. Photos from our wedding were not included.
I love Annie. I was very hurt that she posted two pictures of the “loving couple” even though we are very close. I think it was inappropriate for an album she expected to display in her home for her family, friends, and neighbors to see. I would like to ask her to reprint the album without those two photos. Am I overdoing it? — Southern Stepmother
Dear Stepmother: Since you have a good relationship with Annie, explain to her that you felt slighted by the album and why. Explain that you want to display it prominently. if She would like to have it reprinted with a few photos of you and your husband together, or just her parents' wedding photos. This is not difficult.
Dear Abby: My 8 year old nephew accidentally fell on top of my dog and the dog reacted and bit at him, leaving a small puncture wound on his arm. We immediately removed the dog and apologized to my nephew. The nephew was filled with guilt when he realized that he had caused the dog. It was an accident and I told my nephew it was okay.
A few weeks later, my sister and I noticed that my brother wasn't responding to any of our daily texts or Facebook posts. When we see him in person, he is fine. He jokes with us and even plans to rent a storage unit to store his grandparents' things. But then he ignored our text messages.
We told our mother that he has been ignoring us for a long time. He admitted to her that he was very frustrated with the whole family because he didn't train his dog to not react when he was hit. I now feel that my brother's deliberate bad behavior was worse than the accident. What do you think? — An older sister who desires harmony
Dear Sister: What happened to your nephew was an accident. Your brother's behavior is passive-aggressive and childish. I think you should ignore it and stop texting him or commenting on his Facebook posts for a while. It's been a long time. Right?
Dear Abby: I'm a divorced woman who recently decided to get back into dating. However, five years ago I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I am undergoing treatment and am doing well. When and how should I tell someone at my appointment that I have cancer? — Ready in California
Ready: The time to reveal your medical diagnosis is when the relationship becomes romantic. Withholding that information from someone who is emotionally invested in you is dishonest.
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