Ask Amy: Graduation snub is a hard lesson

Dear Amy: I paid for a large portion of my favorite nephew's college expenses (he's also my godson). I was happy to do this because I love him and want to support him.

His mother (my sister) told me that he has asked to have only immediate family at his graduation ceremony and dinner this coming spring, which means I would not be included.

I know that he has a right to choose whom he wants to invite to his graduation, but can I at least tell him how hurt I am by this? Can I ask that I be included (and that I will leave my husband and daughter at home)?

I do feel somewhat "entitled" to be there to help celebrate a college degree he was able to receive debt-free in large part because of my generosity.

Amy says: Your sister should have strongly advocated for you to be included in this graduation ceremony.

At this point, you should contact your nephew to say, "Your mother has told me that you are inviting only immediate family members to your graduation ceremony. I hope you understand that as someone who invested heavily in financing your education, I would very much like to be included in celebrating your official launch into the rest of your life. I know tickets can be scarce, but I am hoping you can secure one extra ticket so I can attend your graduation."

Dear Amy: I would like to know what can be said to a co-worker who comes to work sick. There must be a polite way to tell this person to go home. It isn't fair to other co-workers to be put at risk by one inconsiderate person.

If you encounter a co-worker who is obviously ill, you could say to them, "I can tell that you don't feel well. Wouldn't it be best if you went home?"

If you don't feel able to do this, you could contact your supervisor and ask if your co-worker could be sent home. Managers should make it explicitly clear that any employees who are sick should not come to work.

This co-worker might feel financial or other professional pressure to drag themselves in, but their illness could have a longer-term negative effect on the workforce.

Dear Amy: A letter-writer reported an ongoing stalemate with his wife concerning her desire to receive $400 each month in retirement to spend however she wished.

I have been the sole breadwinner for most of the 50 years of our marriage. Like the person who wrote to you, all of our finances have been unified.

My name is not on either account, I don't see the statements, and I can't access it online. She has complete freedom, without any accountability to me, to spend the money however she wishes.

The benefit that this independence has had on our relationship is immense.

Amy says: This was a wise choice. A sole breadwinner takes on the pressure and responsibility for financing the household. This is an immense undertaking.

Sole breadwinners might not realize, however, how financially vulnerable their partners are, and how vital it is to have the independence, privacy and responsibility to control their own funds.