Mom to Visit
Dear Frankly,
My mother wants to come visit us here at the ranch. She is a divorcee and in between husbands. She is a smoker and has always been a hard drinking woman. Our relationship has been rocky since I was a child. I married a minister and together we are pastors at a small, country church. We have five young children of our own and we are raising them quite a bit more sheltered than I was raised. I am leery about her visit. How do I deal with my mother’s lifestyle?
Scared Sarah
Dear Scared,
It seems you turned out quite well, according to your standards. It’s funny, many boozing, smokers’ kids end up the pillars of their communities, while preachers’ children are the often the ones that get into the most trouble. I say let mom be mom.
Dear Frankly,
I have been dating a really nice man for months, an associate at a law firm in the same building where I work. He has met my family and spends a lot of his spare time with us. My father is a retired MD. Every time my friend visits, dad can’t wait to tell a lawyer joke. Some of them are tasteless. He is out to get my friend. How can I stop my father from continuing this joking?
Disgusted Darlene
Dear Disgusted,
I’m sure your friend is thick skinned–after all, he is a lawyer. Teach him doctor jokes, like – A seven-year old girl tells her mom, “A boy in my class asked me to play doctor.” The mother sighs, “What happened?” “He made me wait 45 minutes and then double-billed the insurance company.” That should pretty much take of it.
