Dear Abby: Husband’s Family Meetings Leave Wife Out Of The Loop

Husband’s family meetings leave wife out of the loop Whenever something is wrong, troublesome, etc., in either of our families, we have meetings where the entire immediate family comes together to discuss the issue. Rory’s family has had lots of similar meetings, but I am excluded because I am not a blood relative. How can I overcome this exclusion from his family? If their line of thinking is followed to its logical conclusion, then no man or woman who marries in is fully accepted. When you attend a funeral or a wake, or meet a friend or relative who has been recently widowed, don’t say, “If there is anything I can do, just ask.” Call the person in the near future and invite him or her to dinner with you. The phone rings and he’ll say, We’re having spaghetti tonight. When a death happens, sometimes people are well intentioned, but they feel awkward and don’t know what to do. Thank you for writing and giving me the opportunity to remind them that it isn’t the food as much as it is the fellowship that matters at a time like this. The subject is e-mail, which is how so many of us communicate nowadays. When one gets an e-mail from a friend or relative, it seems to me only common courtesy in most cases to acknowledge it with a response, if only to say thanks. Dear Tom: I think some people may be too busy to respond, particularly if the communication doesn’t seem important or contain a question.