DEAR ABBY: I love my grown children and grandchildren, but I hate it when they come "home" for a week or more. My house gets turned upside down and inside out, and I end up losing my temper. Then I feel like an awful mother. I suggested we all meet somewhere else, but it didn't go over well. Help! -- INVADED IN NORTH DAKOTA
DEAR INVADED: Your suggestion may not have gone over well with your children and grandchildren, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't "suggest" it again. And when you do, make sure they understand you are saying it because when they visit they leave your home in disarray, which creates more work for you than you are comfortable doing. Unless they are willing to make sure your home is as neat when they leave as when they arrived, enough is enough.