DEAR ABBY: I have lived with my girlfriend for three years now. She works; I'm retired. She's 52; I'm 62. We get along well.
My problem is, she insists on having her 10-year-old grandson stay over every other weekend and holidays. It is a 70-mile round trip to pick him up. This means that half our weekends are consumed with baby-sitting him.
He's a good kid; I just feel that 26 weekends out of the year is extreme. Her ex -- the grandfather -- gets the boy for a more reasonable amount of the time -- maybe six times a year. Your thoughts? -- MIFFED IN THE MIDWEST
DEAR MIFFED: I am going to assume that you have already discussed this with your girlfriend and she knows you are unhappy with the arrangement.
She may want to see as much of her grandson as she can because she knows that in another few years he won't be as available to her as he has been. (How many teenage boys really want to spend weekends and holidays with their grandmother instead of with their friends?)
While I don't blame you for wanting more child-free weekends and holidays, if she isn't willing to compromise, perhaps it's time to rethink your living arrangement so you can plan adult activities on your own.