Greetings, Miss MannersIn addition to sharing an apartment, my partner and I have two pet snakes. These are little reptiles that are housed behind closed doors in extremely safe glass tanks.
We never allow reptiles to roam the apartment because we recognize that many people are uncomfortable with them. We never take our pets outside or even open the door to that room when we have guests; they remain hidden from view. We would never dare to make someone engage in any kind of interaction with an animal that made them feel uneasy.
The issue is that, even though the snakes are safely caged and out of sight, my boyfriend’s father is so terrified of them that he won’t even enter the flat. His father is emphatic that he won’t come over until the snakes are gone, even though I would want to host his family in our house.
Is it impolite of us to continue dining at their home while refusing to do the same? We can’t really entertain them in a restaurant because we’re young and broke. To please his father, do we need to give up two pets?
PERSONAL READER:A common understanding of how you would return their hospitality is what you need. For instance, would your boyfriend’s parents allow you to occasionally cook and deliver a meal to them?
That is undoubtedly better than finding Antony and Cleopatra other places to live.
(Questions can be sent to Miss Manners via email at [email protected], her website at www.missmanners.com, or by mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
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