DEAR ABBY: My child's best friend has a parent who is constantly late (to the tune of hours, not minutes). I understand that the child is not at fault, but my child's feelings are hurt by the blatant disregard of the other parent's tardiness. How do I help this parent (whom I adore otherwise) to understand that disappointing my child through poor time management is not acceptable to our family without hurting both children? -- WATCHING THE CLOCK
DEAR CLOCK WATCHER: If you haven't told the parent that it is hurtful when your child is kept waiting for hours for a play date, you should. And if that doesn't bring the desired result, your child should be encouraged to move on to some other activity and/or another companion.