Dear Queenie,
My father died a few years ago and my mother insists on having a family get-together every year on his birthday to remember him. I don’t think an event that turns into a big party is a respectful way to honour the dead, but if I stay away it will seem as if I don’t care.
Queenie, what do you advise?—Still miss my Dad
Dear Miss my Dad,
Think of the event as a celebration of the fact that your father lived and made your mother happy, and try to enjoy it for her sake. You can mourn for him in private on your own time.
