Dear Hillary,
Does anyone else have this problem? My Thai wife of six years goes back to the village to see her mother and grandmother about every six months. She tells me she will be away for about three days, but it always stretches out to be around a week. I am sure she isn’t playing up as she sends me photos of herself and the family and where they’ve been. The main problem is with the children who miss their mother very much, and don’t want to go to school, just in case they miss their mother coming back home. Any suggestions, Khun Hillary?
Benjamin
Dear Benjamin,
You have now met the magnetic attraction in Thailand called “family”. When your wife goes to see her relatives, they take first place when she is there. You and the children only get first place when she is down here. What you should do is schedule regular visits for her, and slot these into the school calendar, so the children can go up to see their grandmother and great-grandmother at the same time. “Family” always comes first, Petal. You should know that by now, having spent a few years in Thailand.
