In this Opinion: A Run Turns into a Shower Shouting Match on Mother's Day
Toronto Advice Columnist Lisi Tesher offers guidance on relationships and personal matters. Readers can submit their questions to [email protected].
One reader faced a chaotic Mother's Day, filled with both the unpredictable and the preventable. The situation began when the reader's oldest child woke up crying, subsequently vomiting on herself and her bed - an event beyond control.
In the meanwhile, the reader's husband had gone for an early morning run with the dog, expecting everyone to still be asleep upon his return. Upon his arrival, he found his wife running the bath and comforting their daughter, while attempting to clean the soiled bed without spreading vomit. Despite witnessing the predicament, instead of offering assistance, he became enraged over his inability to shower. His raised voice startled the infant, who then began crying for her mother. The father barged into the nursery, drenched in sweat, scaring the baby even more. This was the controllable part of the chaos.
The reader coped with the situation as best as possible. She bathed the sick child, tended to the crying baby, and cleaned her diaper, all while sitting on the bathroom floor. She calmly asked her husband to carefully strip the bed. He agreed but accomplished the task inadequately. By 9 a.m., she needed a nap but found her husband unprepared, having done nothing to arrange a special Mother's Day celebration - no brunch, gifts, or cards.
The reader expressed her frustration and disappointment, questioning the lack of consideration on such a special day. She lamented, "Can a woman not be treated well on one single day of the year?"
In response, the advice columnist empathized with the reader's experience and expressed dismay over her husband's insensitivity. He should have offered help without demanding and taken responsibility for cleaning up the mess and making breakfast. She highlighted the importance of respect and appreciation in everyday life, not only on special occasions like Mother's Day.
Meanwhile, another reader questioned the columnist's decision to publish questions from U.S. citizens when there were likely an abundance of questions from Canadian readers. The columnist explained that her columns were syndicated across Canada and the U.S., and her columns were accessible to readers worldwide. She welcomed questions from anyone, regardless of location.
The previous issue's advice column elicited criticism from readers. They felt strongly that the columnist failed to address a crucial point: the boyfriend's controlling and potentially dangerous behavior. The reader was mulling over a long-term relationship with a man who threatened to make her pregnant just to upset her. Readers advised her to reconsider the relationship, as the man's actions indicated manipulative and controlling tendencies.
Toronto's advice columnist, Lisi Tesher, also deals with questions about lifestyle and home-and-garden, providing opinions on various topics beyond relationships. (lifestyle, columnist, Toronto, opinions)
In this week's column, Lisi offered her thoughts on family dynamics and the importance of supporting one another, especially during challenging times. (family-dynamics, support, challenging times)
One reader shared a stressful Mother's Day story involving unexpected vomiting, inadequate help from her partner, and missed Mother's Day celebrations. (Mother's Day, vomiting, help, celebrations)
Readers expressed their displeasure over the columnist's failure to address a Canadian reader's question about dealing with a potentially dangerous and controlling boyfriend. (Canada, question, dangerous boyfriend, controlling behavior)
