Dear Queenie,
My father is a smoker and so are some of my other relatives and my husband and his parents. My husband and I have made it a rule that there is no smoking in our house because one of our children has breathing problems. We even set up a nice place outside on our porch where they can go to smoke.
The problem is with my father. He refuses to go outside to smoke and he won’t even try to visit us unless we will let him smoke anywhere he wants to, which we won’t because of our child’s breathing problems, so he never visits. And of course we won’t let the children go visit him for the same reason.
Queenie, we want our children to know their grandfather. What can we do?—Concerned mother
Dear, Mother
There is nothing more you can do. Your first concern is your children’s health. You have not banned smokers from your house, you have just set some restrictions on them and you have tried to make it as comfortable and convenient for them as possible under the circumstances.
Shame on your father for being so self-centred!
