DEAR ABBY: My husband, "Mel," and I are in our 70s. We have been married 14 years. It's the second marriage for both of us.
Mel has a 30-year-old daughter who is married and the mother of two children. She and her husband and children live out of state.
Abby, the daughter calls my husband at least twice a day, any time she feels the urge to talk to him. I find it very annoying that a girl her age needs to talk to her "daddy" so often. She asks him for advice and constantly tells him she loves him. Of course, Mel loves the attention she lavishes on him -- but I am upset and a little jealous.
Is her behavior normal, and if so, how do I handle this infuriating situation? -- FRUSTRATED IN FLORIDA
DEAR FRUSTRATED: You "handle it" by learning to accept it. For whatever reason, your husband's daughter is a "Daddy's girl" -- she needs his approval and support, and it isn't likely to change. You are not rivals for his affection unless you make it so. Think of it this way: You and she have something important in common. You both love her father in different ways, just as he loves both of you.