Advertisement UExpress LIFE PARENTING HOME PETS HEALTH ASTROLOGY ODDITIES A-Z SEARCH Ask Someone Else's Mom by Susan Writer Latest About Archives LIFE Postmortem Photo Frightens Great-Grandkid by Susan Writer ASK SOMEONE ELSE'S MOM | NOVEMBER 30TH, 2021 DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I know this sounds really weird, but my grandmother has a death photo of her grandmother. In it my dead great-great-grandmother is surrounded by her own children, grandchildren, and husband. My grandmother proudly displays this morbid picture on the mantel in her living room. It’s creeped me out since I was old enough to get what the picture was, and I know it has always bugged my dad, who had to grow up with it. Last time we visited my grandmother, my 10-year-old also figured it out, and she cried in the car all the way home when I confirmed what she thought. My grandmother is in her 90s, and I know she isn’t going to change, especially since she hasn’t taken the photo down when she’s been asked to in the past by several family members. But I have told my dad that I am not bringing my kids to her house anymore if she refuses to either take down or cover the picture. I can kind of take it, but I am not going to force my kids to see it again. Do you think I am overreacting? --- NOT FOR MY KIDS DEAR NOT FOR MY KIDS: For decades postmortem photographs were fairly common, and in their day weren’t considered morbid, as they are now. Rather they were meant to bring comfort in grief and help memorialize the departed. That said, I can certainly understand your feelings about the photo your grandmother has prominently on display. It might help a bit if you explained to your 10-year-old a little of the history of the practice. It may not creep her out any less, but it could give her some insight into her great-grandmother’s probable motive for having such an image in her home, especially since there’s a good chance it shows people she knew in her younger days, and for her is a sort of family heirloom. Since it clearly bothers you a good deal, it doesn’t seem to me like an overreaction for you to choose not to bring your children along for visits to your grandmother’s house. What would be sad, however, is if you cut her off from spending time with you and her great-grandkids entirely. Hopefully, you’ll be able to meet up with her at other locations, where your children can focus more on seeing her, and not her household decor. VIEW COMMENTS LIFE Borrowed Dishware Is Returned Damaged by Susan Writer ASK SOMEONE ELSE'S MOM | NOVEMBER 26TH, 2021 DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My son and daughter-in-law hosted their first big formal dinner party for important business connections. They wanted to impress, and they only have basic daily dishes and nearly no serving pieces. Not that what I have is all that special, but it is a little fancier than what they have, so they asked to borrow a set of plates, a platter, and two serving bowls. The day after the party, they returned everything, and when I was putting it away, I noticed a sizeable chip out of the platter, which I know for certain was not there before. Neither my son nor my daughter-in-law mentioned it, and that bothered me more than the damage. It is not an expensive or irreplaceable piece, but it would have been nice for them to fess up to chipping it. READ MORE LIFE Still Not “There Yet″ — but Getting Closer by Susan Writer ASK SOMEONE ELSE'S MOM | NOVEMBER 25TH, 2021 DEAR READERS: Last year, most of us experienced a holiday season like no other. We’ve come a long way since then, and this time around there’s a better chance to celebrate in most of the traditional ways we’d come to expect before the pandemic changed so much for so many. As far as we’ve come in 2021, we’re still not quite back to complete normalcy — whatever that may be. And so, please continue to use good sense and follow the recommendations put in place to help keep as many of us healthy and safe as possible. READ MORE LOAD MORE ARTICLES Next up: More trusted advice from... My Wife Has A Crush On Her Boss. Is She Going To Cheat On Me? How Do I Deal With The Fallout From Drama With My Friends? How Do I Stop Being Angry About My Relationships? Homemade Holidays Turkey Leftovers 2.0 Smoking-Hot Salmon Astro-Graph for November 30, 2021 Astro-Graph for November 29, 2021 Astro-Graph for November 28, 2021 UExpress Life Parenting Home Pets Health Astrology Oddities A-Z About Contact Submissions Terms of Service Privacy Policy ©2021 Andrews McMeel Universal