DEAR ABBY: We don't own a computer, but the Internet has had an effect on us. Our daughter lives 300 miles from us, and until our last visit, we always enjoyed the time we spent with her and her family. This time, however, they spent more time on the chat lines than they did with us. We were deeply hurt that the chat lines were more important than we were.
As we returned home, we discussed staying home in the future, rather than driving all that distance only to be put in front of a television set while they sat in front of their computer.
Unfortunately, many people ignore their guests in favor of Internet friends; they see nothing wrong with it.
We hope they recognize themselves in your column and take the message to heart. -- STAYING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
DEAR STAYING HOME: Don't count on it. The guilty rarely recognize themselves in my column and change their ways. I understand that some people get "hooked" on chat lines, but that's no excuse for ignoring guests.
If it's not inconvenient, consider inviting your daughter and her family to spend the holidays at YOUR home occasionally, where no computer can interfere with the celebration or conversation.