DEAR ABBY: How do I decline my girlfriend's request to be in the delivery room with her and her husband when she has her baby? I don't want to hurt her feelings. I will go with her to the hospital and wait in the waiting room, but I really don't want to see the show. -- SQUEAMISH IN WEST VIRGINIA
DEAR SQUEAMISH: Tell her the truth -- that you are honored to have been asked, but that you can't handle the sight of blood, and it would be better for all concerned if you stayed in the waiting room. And don't let her talk you out of it. At a special moment like this, the mother and baby should be the center of attention -- not the friend who fainted, hit the floor and needed medical attention.