Sunday, December 1, 2024

Doctor Love: She’s Mine ad Trimmed

Share

Readers, please email your question to [email protected]. Your letters are edited solely for grammar and spelling and sometimes for length.

Dear Doctor Love,
My husband and I are from two different cultural backgrounds. He is Asian and I am Caucasian. We have a baby daughter who is now one year old. She looks nothing like me. She is a beautiful little girl who looks completely Chinese. This difference in our appearance seems to attract attention from everyone we meet, and it is very common that people take it for granted she is adopted or my husband’s daughter with an Asian mother. When I took her to a new doctor last week even the receptionist assumed I was not her mother. It upsets me that people put me in the position to have to answer what I consider to be an intrusive question. How do I handle these wearisome situations?
/s/ She’s Mine

Dear Mine,
You are getting frustrated over something that’s not likely to go away, so you had better change your reaction and response to the questions. First lose the idea that people are being intrusive and think of them as being interested. People are curious about babies and children, and in normal conversation they tend to feel comfortable inquiring about them, age and name. In the case of the receptionist, even more personal information might be required. The doctor might ask if your child is adopted as some physicians require proof of adoption documents before making an appointment. In everyday settings, like the park or daycare, if you get upset at the question of her parentage and answer in a hostile manner, your daughter can pick up on that feeling as she gets older. The message you send her will not be a positive one. When someone asks if you are her mother, or insinuates that she doesn’t look like you, smile and say, “She looks like my handsome husband.” When she is old enough, she will answer the question herself, hopefully in a humorous and easygoing manner.

Dear Doctor Love,
My neighbor will not cut his grass or keep the junk from piling up in his front yard. The trash holds water and breeds mosquitoes and the long grass hides various insects that migrate to my dogs and house. My ten-year-old keeps my yard trimmed every two weeks and dumps standing water. Since my yard is clean, do I have the right to complain about his?
/s/ Trimmed

Dear Trimmed,
Lawn maintenance can make neighbors drive each other crazy. Take your son next door and ask your neighbor if he can have a job cutting his lawn. It will send the message without being overly aggressive.

Read more

 

Please help support Local Journalism in Belize

For the first time in the history of the island's community newspaper, The San Pedro Sun is appealing to their thousands of readers to help support the paper during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 1991 we have tirelessly provided vital local and national news. Now, more than ever, our community depends on us for trustworthy reporting, but our hard work comes with a cost. We need your support to keep delivering the news you rely on each and every day. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Please support us by making a contribution.

Local News