> Our son was the seventh boy born into my husband’s side of the family, and we have been blessed with an obscene number of hand-me-downs — most recently a wooden swing set worth some $3,000. While our family members claim that we’re helping them clean out their basements, they’re saving us countless dollars and effort. I am a diehard thank you note writer, but it doesn’t seem enough. Help!
K.G. / Medway
Comments
My kids were also the recipients of many hand-me-downs. One thing you can do, as a thank-you, is save some of the items that you associate with a particular cousin, for example, and pass them back when they have kids of their own. It may seem like a long-term project, but it's really just a bin in the basement along with good labeling.
If you do, in fact, want to get together with your SIL, then how about YOU suggesting a time and a place when she asks again? A simple, "Sounds great! I'm available next Tuesday if you want to meet at McSwanky's for a drink and maybe some dinner. Let me know!" If you then get zero response, then you've got your answer, and maybe the end to future e-mails.