Dear So and So

[limewave]

Mother dearest,

It is not a personal offense to you when I decide to "ground" dd. I am not trying to take away Gramma and Grampa--that is not even part of the equation. DD sees you every week, sometimes more than that. I think that missing one day with Gramma and Grampa would not be the end of the world. It's unfortunate that you had plans with her right then, but if we had special plans ourselves, I would have cancelled those too.

And as for your remark about the "punishment fitting the crime," well, I do think its appropriate. Furthermore, my decision to ground her had less to do with punishment than it did for her own benefit.

When DD acts out as severely as she did over the weekend I . . .
1) Cannot imagine taking a child out in public that is behaving that way
2) Think that we've had a busy schedule and maybe DD needs a quiet day at home with her mom and dad.

You have made it very clear to me in the past that how we discipline our children is my business and that you want absolutely no part in it. Why are you sticking your nose in now?

I understand that you want the kids to remember you fondly someday. That's why you spoil them. But you have an opportunity to leave them with a real legacy: character, integrity, compassion. You can help give that to them by providing some structure and boundaries for them.

It makes me feel like I'm dealing with another preschooler when you cry every time I have to put DD in time-out. Seriously, if I had acted like that when I was a kid, dad would have gotten the belt out and you would have screamed at me for hours while stomping around the house slamming doors.

Sincerely,
Me

[Owlie]

Dear BF--
I know you were teasing me in a loving way. But did you think that particular phone call was the time to do it? I'd fallen twice and wasn't feeling great. So I tell you about that one accomplishment on that ride, and you feel the need to belittle it, even in jest.
I still love you, even if I don't like you right now.
Me.

[bmccasland]

Dear Contract Project Planner,
You're a *Planner* right? So when the meeting date gets changed, don't put the date change on the outline of the up-coming meeting, call attention to it. I sat out front waiting and wondering where was everyone for the trip to BR for the meeting. Figured y'all forgot me since I haven't made the weekly meetings as you've been changing them to wednesdays, which I can't attend. It's an environmental restoration project, you'd think you would check with your Environmental Manager - that being ME - if I can make these changes, or see what other days I can attend?

[Selkie]

Dear Contract Project Planner,
You're a *Planner* right? So when the meeting date gets changed, don't put the date change on the outline of the up-coming meeting, call attention to it. I sat out front waiting and wondering where was everyone for the trip to BR for the meeting. Figured y'all forgot me since I haven't made the weekly meetings as you've been changing them to wednesdays, which I can't attend. It's an environmental restoration project, you'd think you would check with your Environmental Manager - that being ME - if I can make these changes, or see what other days I can attend?

Is this person a contractor? If so, might be time to talk to the company PM and perhaps, have the company replace this person. Not including you, particularly since you're the Subject Matter Expert, is unacceptable.

[Grits]

Dear E-Vite recipient,

Do you not realize that I can see that you viewed the e-vite and could not trouble yourself to click on yes or no and send?

I sent an e-vite specifically to make it easier for people to respond since it is apparently too much trouble to pick up the phone or send an e-mail these days, and let's don't even get into the formal invitations. No, this was just a casual thing, so an e-vite seemed perfect.

I guess you are just so popular that you are waiting until the last minute to see if you get a better offer. Honestly, weren't you taught any manners?

[Becky]

Dear E-Vite recipient,

Do you not realize that I can see that you viewed the e-vite and could not trouble yourself to click on yes or no and send? <snip>
I guess you are just so popular that you are waiting until the last minute to see if you get a better offer. Honestly, weren't you taught any manners?

I don't know all of the details, but I'm not sure that i'd read that much into it....

I just received an Evite, and opened it to read all of the who/when/where. I now have to confer with my better half, make sure that I can get off work to go, etc. etc. Maybe this is rude of me, but an immediate response just isn't gonna happen.

Just my two cents.

[Zen]

Dear Aspiring Listing Agent,
I know you think your Hummer will impress potential clients and yes, it sure did but it was not the impression you were aiming for.
I was shocked, shocked I say, to see that behemoth in my driveway.
I'm still amused at your befuddled look when I told you why I wouldn't be interested in working with you.

[lph]

Dear Mom,

your family consists of one daughter, and two grandsons. You're out of the country more than half the year. It's not like you're swimming in family, duty or social occasions, and it wouldn't kill you to be polite and say yes when the one grandson asks if you'd like to come to the circus show the entire school has been working on for weeks. If not, the least you could do is come up with a plausible excuse or white lie, instead of a stupid offputting "Ah, no, no, I don't think so.... I'm an old lady, you know, and too tired to be out and about much". Especially after you've just accepted an invitation to lunch a few days earlier - but hey, that was to celebrate YOUR birthday, wasn't it.

The kid is 12, and big enough to figure it out for himself. So you could just be up front about it, and tell him that you're not interested in anybody but yourself, and couldn't give a hoot how he feels about it.

[Zen]

That's so sad

[Xrayted]

Dear Mom,

your family consists of one daughter, and two grandsons. You're out of the country more than half the year. It's not like you're swimming in family, duty or social occasions, and it wouldn't kill you to be polite and say yes when the one grandson asks if you'd like to come to the circus show the entire school has been working on for weeks. If not, the least you could do is come up with a plausible excuse or white lie, instead of a stupid offputting "Ah, no, no, I don't think so.... I'm an old lady, you know, and too tired to be out and about much". Especially after you've just accepted an invitation to lunch a few days earlier - but hey, that was to celebrate YOUR birthday, wasn't it.

The kid is 12, and big enough to figure it out for himself. So you could just be up front about it, and tell him that you're not interested in anybody but yourself, and couldn't give a hoot how he feels about it.

I've got a MIL just like that.

[lph]

Yah, well, seems my subconscious wanted to take revenge. I noted down that I was meeting her for a birthday lunch tomorrow - and it was today...

- not sure which emoticon I should put here, to be honest. Why not a sample:

[Owlie]

Dear people upstairs--
SHUT UP. This is an old building, and it's not as well-insulated, soundwise, as we'd both like it to be. That said, your tramping around on the wood floors upstairs at all hours and yelling is not appreciated. Nor is your bringing all your equally loud friends over. Don't make me come up there.

[tulip]

Dear Terry Pro-Deal People,
So what's the deal with putting only XS and XXXL products on sale? Getting rid of the dregs of your inventory? This Medium won't bother with you anymore, since I never buy full-price and you're not offering anything that I can fit into on sale. Not a good way to build up a customer base.

[Xrayted]

Thank you honey for an incredible weekend camping. We spent time with good friends, laughing until we had tears running, fishing, cooking on our little pop can stove, warming by the campfire, looking at the sky full of stars and gasping at the beauty around us. What a wonderful life we have together.

[Xrayted]

Dear ******* Moms who brought your children to the one decent spot to fish from in that entire area (there was a beach access just 400yds away, btw) and let them throw rocks in, jump in the water, all while you just looked past us both as you loaded all of your stuff on our already occupied picnic table. Your bad manners aside, we simply packed up, left you behind and still had a nice quiet lunch sitting up on a boulder overlooking the park.



You are sooooooo lucky that your minivan still has air in it's tires, though.