Dear Ann Landers, I just read the letter from "Hey You" in Florida, whose mother-in-law wouldn't call her by name.
My own daughter has not called me "Mom" or anything else since she married 38 years ago, when she was 18. I have never heard her say she is sorry when she has been in the wrong. Nor does she ever say, "Please," or "Thank you." This is not the way she was raised. We see each other often, and she is not hostile. Can you explain this? -- Hey, You in California
Dear Hey, You, No, I cannot explain it. Sounds as if your daughter is angry about the way her life turned out and is just plain bitter. Why don't you ask her why she never calls you "Mom"? Tell her you would like that. It could be the beginning of a meaningful and long-overdue dialogue.
Hi! It's Margo here. I'd love to know what you think of the letters -- and the answers!
Also, any additional thoughts you might have. Thanks!
Reader Comment
My brothers and I call our mother by her first name for the past 60 years brushed has been a terrible mother so I can identify with the writer
Reader Comment
When my dear FIL was alive, I would look in his direction and say "Ummm" to get his attention. He had the same first name as my husband so I couldn't call him Joe, and I already had a father so I couldn't call him dad.
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Our Reader to Reader Question of the Week:
Dear Readers, , I decided to collect peanuts as memorabilia of the president. I have now nearly 350 pounds of peanuts from the Carter years. Since I didn’t get started until some time after he became president, I have only 26 pounds of 1977 peanuts, but I have more than 100 pounds for each of the years 1978,1979 and 1980. My thought was that these peanuts would in time become very valu-able to collectors on the lookout for interesting remembrances of past presidents. I have had little bags printed with President Carter’s pic-ture on them and the year of the peanuts. Each bag holds approximately 2 ounces. For those who want some-thing special, one of my neighbors has embroidered some lovely cloth bags with President Carter’s full name and the date the peanuts were packaged. Recently, the price of peanuts (and peanut butter) has skyrocketed. I could make a very nice profit on my peanuts if I sold them at today’s prices. Frankly, I could use the money. However, I have really gotten attached to them. Please tell me what to do. -Collector in Modesto
