Annie’s Mailbox: Grandma berates girl with Trump posts

Dear Annie: How do I tell my 91-year-old mother to stop posting political messages on my 16-year-old daughter’s Facebook page, especially when Mom supports Donald Trump and knows that my daughter supports Bernie Sanders?

My daughter just turned 16, and is very shy and introverted. She’s only just starting to find her voice online and has taken an interest in politics only recently. She is a big supporter of Sanders and advocates for the rights of the LGBTQ community on her Facebook page (along with cute dog and cat videos). But my mother comments on her page with support for Trump. It has turned my daughter off so much that she is reluctant to visit Grandma. And when we do go, she keeps her distance.

Time is short. What do you advise to bring these two together again and to respectfully avoid discussing politics? – Neutral Observer

Dear Neutral: First of all, your daughter can block Grandma’s posts on her Facebook page and we recommend doing that immediately. Then, consider this an excellent opportunity to teach your child that disagreeing with someone doesn’t mean you cannot love and tolerate them – especially a 91-year-old grandparent. She doesn’t need to talk about the election with Grandma, and if the subject comes up, she can say that she’d prefer to discuss more pleasant things. It’s OK to agree to disagree, especially about politics, without becoming angry and disrespectful. Frankly, we wish more people would take this lesson to heart.

Please email questions to anniesmailbox@ creators.com, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. You can also find Annie on Facebook at Facebook.com/AskAnnies.