DEAR ABBY: My father lives in another state and drove here to see our new baby girl. He saw her while she was in the nursery at the hospital.
When I returned home from the hospital, my father wanted to come over immediately. I was very tired, and when I suggested that his wife and her son not come along, he refused to come. Abby, their boy screams and is out of control most of the time, and I didn't want him disrupting my two other children.
Was I wrong to ask that it just be my dad? It has been eight months since he has been down here, and I don't know what to do. Should I apologize? -- FRAZZLED MOTHER IN NORTH CAROLINA
DEAR FRAZZLED: It couldn't hurt to offer an apology. Your father considers his wife and stepson to be part of your family, too, and probably didn't recognize how disruptive this child can be.
In the interests of family harmony, and before this festers any further, pick up the phone and call.