Phone games rule wife’s life

• Reprints

Updated: February 26, 2012 8:01AM

Dear Annie: My wife is addicted to playing games on her smartphone. She lies in bed in the morning playing games before she gets ready for work. When she comes home, she is often on the phone when she walks through the door. When we sit down for supper (which I usually make), she plays games while we eat. At bedtime, she lies in bed with her smartphone, playing until she falls asleep.

If we go out, she plays games at the restaurant. Conversation always begins with, “What?” because she is so engrossed in her game.

She hardly does anything around the house anymore and barely notices our son, let alone interacts with him. How do I break her of this habit?

Lost in Lexington, Ky.

Dear Lost: These games can be highly addictive, and your wife must admit the extent of her involvement before she will be able to cut back. Have you addressed this directly with her? Have you told her how neglected you feel and how much your son misses his mother? Have you asked her to limit her game-playing to specific times?

If she refuses to deal with this or change her behavior, the next step is counseling before your resentment creates a more serious problem. We hope she will listen to an unbiased third party.

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