DEAR ABBY: My 12-year-old daughter is in the sixth grade. She is well-liked and has a lot of friends.
We can't afford gifts for all the birthday parties to which she is invited. I let her go to some, but we can barely pay our bills some months.
When I try to explain why she can't go, she gets upset. I've asked her not to say anything about our money troubles, but she says she can't lie to her friends about why she's not allowed to go to all the parties.
Abby, have you any suggestions on how I can handle this situation when it comes up again? -- INVITED BUT CAN'T ALWAYS GO
DEAR INVITED: Please rethink your stance on this. Having money troubles is not a sign of bad character or a social disease, so please stop trying to sweep it under the rug. Gifts do not have to be expensive to be thoughtful. If your finances are tight, and you can't come up with a gift -- even from a discount store -- explain the fact to the mother of the birthday child. Perhaps your daughter could create a gift for her friend.