Ask Ma'am: Quinella Gives Advice to a Reader...

I'm just playing around with the Ask Ma'am column, perhaps Quinella's first piece of professional advice after her mother leaves the family...

Dear Ask Ma'am,

I'm a wife and stay-at-home mother of two children (1 and 10), and I love my family deeply. My husband is a nice guy who adores me, but I desperately need a vacation away from him, just for two weeks.

He never helps around the house, always throwing his socks next to the hamper and leaving his dumbbells on the living room floor. Two days ago, I nearly broke my neck tripping over those darn things.

I feel that if I go away for a while, my absence will force my loved ones to see how hard I work to keep home and hearth together. But my husband would never allow me to go off on my own. For one thing, I couldn't afford to stay in a hotel or go anywhere fancy. But I do have an old college friend in California (I'm in New York); she has invited me to stay with her for two weeks. I just have to pay for my airfare.

Should I just slip away without telling anyone and then call my husband once I'm in California?

What do you think?

Fed up Mama

Dear Fed Up Mama,

Sure, maybe ditch the old man--anyone who leaves dirty socks on the floor (e-yewww!) deserves to be smacked in the noodle (but just pretend, the ma'amster does not approve of violence.)

But, seriously?

You would just pick up and leave those two sweet innocent babies behind? Other than just being kids, have they done anything to set you off? (I thought not.)

If you must take a vacation, tell your husband of your plans, and ask your friend if you can bring your kids with you. If not, you three musketeers go to a relative's house.

Please don't sneak away. Please, please don't. You can't imagine what it's like to wake up one morning and find your mother gone and not knowing where she went.

It's not fair.

So get the strudel out of your noodle and take your break away from it all in the right way.

Yours Very Truly,

Ask Ma'am