the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beaconweb9-18 | Page 11
September 2018
M
THE BEACON
DEAR,
ARIE
By
Marie
Segale
[email protected]
Dear Marie,
I am a single mom with
two little girls, six and eight
years old. My parents love
my little girls, and they want
to spend time with them. My
parents are such a big help to
me; they are my only back-up
because the girls’ dad is not
in their lives. My problem is
that my parents pop in on me
without any notice. Sometimes
I get a call as they are pulling
into the driveway, but a lot of
the times there is no warning
at all. I have purposely not
answered the phone, but they
show up anyway. I have a very
hectic, high-pressure job in
the financial industry. When
I come home from work, I do
not want to have to entertain
company. I want to spend
time at my house recharging
and getting ready for the next
day. Some weeks my parents
show up every day. What’s so
ironic to me is that when I was
growing up, my parents hated
pop-in company; now they are
doing it to me. Please help me,
Marie! I need some space!
Donna in Need of Space
Page 11A
Dear Donna,
I am sorry your parents are
not respecting your time and
space. It’s tough for an adult
child to say to their parent,
“Please do not pop in on me.”
I don’t see any other way
around your situation. Be
honest, loving, and gentle. Be
clear that you expect a phone
call to see if it’s a convenient
time for them to visit the girls.
Explain to them that you need
some downtime and privacy
without company. Maybe that
will jog their memory about
how the