Dear Annie: Our family excluded my son from Easter celebration

Dear Annie: My spouse and I live close to many members of our extended family. We were out of town for Easter. My adult son saw on Facebook that the rest of the family had gathered to celebrate, but he had not been invited. This has happened more than once. My son feels pretty bad about it and wonders why he wasn’t included.

I don’t know if we should just ignore this or say something. What do you think? — Sad for Son

Dear Sad for Son: It’s really difficult to be excluded, especially if it’s family. Lots of times, rejection is just God’s protection. Now that he knows how hurtful and exclusionary his family can be, he can plan ahead, perhaps with friends, and have Easter with them. Or perhaps you and your husband could take him with you.

If you think that this was simply an oversight, where the family member who organized the Easter celebration just assumed your son was not in town, it would be worth asking them and letting them know how hurt your son was.

View prior ‘Dear Annie’ columns

“How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” is out now! Annie Lane’s second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit Creators Publishing for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected].