Dear Queenie,
I have pets, a dog and a cat. My daughter recently married a man with children from a previous marriage and the children are both allergic to animals.
I visit my new grandchildren every day at their house and I love them very much, but they can’t come to my house because of the allergies.
Now my daughter and her husband are pressuring me to get rid of my pets so that the kids can stay with me sometimes when they want to go out. They say if I don’t it means I am putting animals in front of people.
Queenie, do you agree?—Step-grandmother
Dear Step-grandmother,
No, I do not agree with your daughter. As you visit the children every day at their home, there is no real reason for them to come to your house. When your daughter wants you to baby-sit, you can do so at her house, so where’s the problem?
If she is so set on having the children visit your home, she should take them to a doctor and see if their allergies cannot be treated and/or controlled, at least temporarily, so they can do so. After all, yours are not the only animals they will come in contact with in their daily lives.
It is also possible, especially if they are very young, that they will eventually outgrow their allergies.
You shouldn’t have to choose between the animals and the children unless/until it becomes absolutely necessary.
