DEAR ABBY: I identified with the letter from "Private Guy in San Jose," whose in-laws come for month-long visits twice a year. My mother-in-law used to visit for six weeks or more several times a year, with no date set for her return home 3,000 miles away. I told my husband I could handle her visits better if there were a return date to which I could look forward, but it never happened.
After years of frustration, I finally decided to create my own "escape" date. Six weeks was my limit. After that, I'd leave to visit my parents, thus letting my husband entertain his mother by himself.
It was amazing the speed with which my husband put his mother on a plane home!
Perhaps "Private Guy" could arrange a "business trip" or a visit to his own relatives after two weeks of hosting his in-laws. -- PROBLEM SOLVED IN FLORIDA
DEAR PROBLEM SOLVED: That's certainly better than sitting home feeling infringed upon and allowing resentment to build. Even the freshest fish can turn foul if it is kept beyond the expiration date. Thank you for the helpful suggestion.