Dear Queenie,
My whole family has been on the outs with one of my father’s sisters for years. She came to my grandmother’s (her mother’s) funeral and I happened to be sitting next to her and I spoke to her just to be polite and we ended up chatting for a few minutes.
Now my father is mad at me for talking to her at all even though I was just being polite. After all, it was her mother’s funeral.
Queenie, was I wrong to talk to her?—Funeral Etty Ket
Dear Etty Ket,
No, you were not wrong. In fact, as an adult, you have the right to decide for yourself whom you will be “on the outs with” and when to be polite or rude.
I am glad you chose courtesy over rudeness at your grandmother’s funeral – or any funeral, for that matter.
