...who is now his wife of seven years.

Here was his reason:

I was a very angry teenager. I *despised* my mother's boyfriend, and it drove something of a wedge between me and my mother. I think my dad was very concerned with maintaining our relationship (I am very close with him) and also making sure that I didn't just decide to hate his gf right out of the gate out of spite or something. He waited until I was a little older and more able to handle a different dynamic in our relationship (ie, I was not the only girl in his life anymore!) and even though it made things kind of awkward at first because they'd been dating for so long I think it was probably the right move in the end.

She had already met a couple of my aunts and uncles by that time, although she hadn't met my grandparents either. I think that's also just my dad's way of protecting his "emotional" life -- he's pretty cagey about these things. It doesn't make him a bad guy or someone who is hiding dark secrets, just someone who is careful about blending his various worlds.

Maybe the fam disapproved of his ex-fiancee and he's afraid they'll disapprove of you also? That's not to say you deserve disapproval, but that's definitely what fed into my dad's reticence. I think he was fearful that I would react to his girlfriend the way I reacted to my mom's boyfriend (turns out, my mom's boyfriend really *was* a dirtbag -- I just picked up on that about 15 years before everyone else did -- and my dad's girlfriend/wife is actually a very nice person so there really wasn't anything to worry about!)

I don't know. There are an awful lot of suspicious people on this board who are jumping to some really ugly and uninformed conclusions. Maybe give him the benefit of the doubt, meet the fam, be easy and casual about it, and see if the reticence is actually more to do with them than you.

Those quotes can't possibly be real.

Kitty does mean Gal.

albeit, it's more of a GenX, 30something usage, I was wrong to say twentysomething, sorry mean guy

I'm a 30-something and I would have seen the double-entendre. Or understood it in a 'sex kitten' sort of way. It's definitely not a purely innocent turn of phrase.

so, exactly what differentiates educated, well-off, allegedly liberal nanny employers from upper class Southern women having black slaves nanny their offspring?

Well, let's see. For starters:

1) The nannies are paid for their labor.

2) They are free to leave and seek other employement any time they want.

I know there's one more, what is it? Oh yeah:

3) The nannies aren't legally considered anyone's *property*

I do think this guy came across as a total jackass but I recall a similar situation in my own office a few months ago. I didn't say anything because a) I am wholly uninvolved with this person's work and couldn't even tell you her name if you paid me, b) it was only after work that I noticed this, and c) I actually didn't care that much.

A (very) young woman with a large bosom wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the "Community Chest" icon from Monopoly, Please don't piss on my leg and tell me that she's just really enthusiastic about board games; the t-shirt is totally inappropriate for an office environment, especially given that customers are paraded through on an almost-daily basis.

What should I have done if I was her boss, or someone who worked nearby? If I say something to her, I come across as a prude, a killjoy, or worse -- jealous! But she's an adult, and needs to learn at some point, from someone, what is and is not appropriate in a place of business.

Who teaches that lesson? Do all of these instances have to result in someone being dragged before HR in order to remain anonymous? Jeebus forfend that older workers serve as guides, models, or mentors to younger staff. It's probably also worth noting that the median age in my company is somewhere close to 28, so "older" is a relative term and "older workers" are in short supply, so bad habits are only re-inforced by the other young'uns who -- being something of a self-selected group -- have no clue about how to conduct themselves in a professional setting.

(I'm a pretty casual person myself, my typical uniform is jeans and a logo t-shirt in the warm months, but I'm smart enough to save the Tuscon Roller Derby "Saddletramps" shirt for weekends.)