DEAR ABBY: My 38-year-old married daughter's house is filthy. Her youngest is now in the hospital with pneumonia, and her two other kids are sick all the time. They are constantly coughing, have runny noses, fever and ear infections. I have tried talking to her regarding her housekeeping but she doesn't want to hear anything I have to say.
Her husband has convinced her that they have "more important things to be concerned with" than a clean house. He says they have love, and a clean house doesn't matter. The oldest girl is 11, and she tells me she's embarrassed to have anyone visit her. She has no friends (nor does my daughter) and I am afraid her life will go down along with my daughter's. Can you help me to help them? -- GRANDMA IN SOUTH CAROLINA
DEAR GRANDMA: My first suggestion is to hire someone to clean your daughter's house once a month, if that's doable. The second is to discuss your very real concerns with the doctor who is treating your grandchild for pneumonia. While your son-in-law may think that a house filled with love doesn't have to be clean, if it's so dirty it is hazardous to the health of the children who live there, he is seriously mistaken.