DEAR ABBY: My cousin "Stacie" and I have sons who are the same age. The boys love playing together and spending the night at each other's house. The problem is that Stacie and her husband fight all the time. They scream and curse at each other at the top of their lungs, and they do it in front of the kids. Her husband also screams at their son, calling him "stupid" and other things that are not fit for a family newspaper.
My husband and I do not want our son exposed to that kind of behavior, but I don't know how to tell Stacie that this is why I can't allow my son to stay at her house anymore. Any suggestions? -- STICKY WICKET IN TENNESSEE
DEAR STICKY WICKET: Yes. Host the sleepovers at your house. That way cousin Stacie and her husband can have more "private time" to continue their battles, and their poor son will have some relief from the emotional abuse he is suffering at the hands of both of them.