Appropriate response needed in dealing with an insensitive grandmother

[Anonymous]

Unless she lives near DC or another similar urban area, of COURSE she has a bigger place than you do. My parents are empty-nesters and they have this huge, nice 5-bedroom house that sometimes I envy. Of course if I lived in Kansas like they do, I could afford a big place, too. (my dad also inherited a bunch of money from his parents.) Instead, I live in DC where my job opportunities are better and there's a ton of culture and diverse, interesting people who have done truly cool things with their lives. I love where I'm from, but most people grow up around there, live there their whole lives and never do much.

I have a townhouse that's a little smaller than i'd like, and a little farther out than I'd like, so sometimes I feel bad that my daughter won't grow up with more space. I'm lucky, though, in that my folks did a stint in Gaithersburg when my dad worked for the government, so they lived in an apartment, and then a townhouse for awhile too. They understand the realities of life here.

Try to "own" your decision to live here - accept the shortcomings of DC (expensive housing and sucky commuting) and enjoy what you get for that. There's a lot to be said for living here.