DEAR ABBY: I remarried several years after my first wife passed away. I thought they were different people, but they share one maddening trait. They refuse to use the phone! Of course they talk to the children, relatives and friends, but to no one who must be contacted for a business reason.
For example, my wife is unwilling to phone the vet, carpet cleaning service or insurance agency. All such matters are dumped on me. In addition, when I do call for her, she insists on standing next to me giving orders on what I should say or how or who to talk to. Please let me know how to get my wife to use the phone. — TIRED OF IT IN THE EAST
DEAR TIRED OF IT: Your wife may feel that you have more knowledge about these things than she does but would still like to get her 2 cents in during those business calls. I have also found that sometimes men “hear” things better from another man than they do from a woman. Because this vexes you, the next time one of those calls must be made, stand next to her and coach her through it if she needs it. The term for this is “teamwork.”
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.