DEAR ABBY: My husband recently returned to the family business to become the general manager. He is in control of hiring new employees, and he recently told me they need to hire more people. I have mentioned several times my interest in working there as an administrative assistant. However, my husband either changes the subject or gets angry when I ask about it.
It hurts my feelings that I am the person raising his children, but am not good enough to work in the family business! I also know it's not because of lack of experience. This makes me question the strength and value of our marriage. -- HURT FEELINGS IN OREGON
DEAR HURT FEELINGS: While I can see that you might be disappointed, what I regard as your problem may be the lack of honest communication between you and your husband. He may have reasons for preferring you not work in the family business that have nothing to do with the strength or value of your marriage. It might be that he is new in his position as general manager, that working in ANY family business can be stressful, that he'd prefer separation between his working life and his family life, or that other family members might object.
Let the subject rest for a while, and when you do raise it again, try to do it in a non-confrontational manner. If you do, he may be more open and less defensive with you about what his reasons are. And if you would prefer to work outside the home in addition to raising the children, consider submitting your resumes to other companies.