DEAR ABBY: "Miserable Mom in Tucson," the single mother of two adult sons who ignored her on Mother's Day, reminded me of a similar situation I had to deal with.
About 10 years ago, on both Easter and Mother's Day, I heard nothing from my married son who lives out of state. When my birthday rolled around and he again failed to contact me, I sent his wife a sympathy card. On it, I wrote, "Why didn't you tell me my son had died? I would have come to the funeral!"
Two days later, I got a phone call and a heartfelt apology from my son. Ever since, he has never failed to call me on a regular basis. Sign me ... MOTHER OF INVENTION IN VIRGINIA
DEAR MOTHER: Not only are you clever, you got your point across with humor and without judgment. (Those are qualities we should all develop.)