DEAR ABBY: Every year, my wife makes a photo book of the family and sends it to everyone. This year, she included a picture taken during a nephew's birthday party. In it, my father is wearing a politically charged T-shirt, except she photoshopped the offending (to us) message out. When I asked her to not do that, but instead to remove the entire photo, she refused. She said there were no other good photos from the party, so her only option was to remove the message on the shirt.
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I'm opposed because my father will be angry when he realizes his shirt has been altered in the photo. He will then bring it up at every opportunity and berate me, my wife and even my mother about how terrible it was to do that, and for us not to bother ever sending him another photo book again, despite my mother looking forward to it every year. What is your advice for us? -- OUT OF FOCUS IN FLORIDA
DEAR OUT OF FOCUS: It is commonplace for images to be blurred in the media out of concern that they might be offensive, or seem to promote a product. I have to wonder why your father would wear a T-shirt with a message on it that he knew would offend the people around him. He does not have the right to censor what mail your mother can receive. Because your wife created the book, she has the right to determine its contents. She should send it to her mother-in-law only and advise her not to show it to Dad.