Dear Annie: I’ve known my friend “Ella” for over 50 years. In the last few years, for whatever reason, she only wants to communicate with me via texting. She has no medical or mental issues. I just saw her at her sister’s funeral.

I’ve told her that I don’t wish to communicate through texting only. I keep asking her why we just can’t talk on the phone like we always have. I’ve informed her I don’t want to type out a whole conversation when we are both holding our phones in our hands. She continues to text me only, which I refuse to do, because it takes too long and, in my opinion, is impersonal. We don’t communicate at all now. I asked her if she does not want to hear my voice. No answer. I know of other people who are having this same issue. Is this a thing now? Totally confused. — At Odds in a Friendship of Over 50 Years

Dear At Odds: It sounds like Ella has made up her mind about texting versus calling. Though frustrating, you can’t force her to talk on the phone.

Plenty of people prefer texting over calling for convenience, personal comfort, or even social anxiety. Your options now are to adapt to her method of communication or let the friendship fade. You can always send a message like, “I miss hearing your voice. If you ever feel like calling, I’d love to catch up,” and leave the ball in her court.

Dear Annie: My son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter and soon-to-be grandson live 12 hours away. We visit four to six times a year, driving six hours a day for two days and staying at a hotel overnight to see the family.

We have been staying with my son, but now that a new baby is coming, we will need to stay in a hotel for the weekend. It seems every time we visit, our daughter-in-law’s mother (who lives 10 minutes away and spends every weekend with the family) shows up — not just one day but all three days we are visiting. We don’t get time to get to know our granddaughter because “Gigi” is always there taking over. How do we tell her to give us time? I’d like her to stay home and let us visit.

She is over-the-top loud and has to be the center of attention, winding our granddaughter up. We spend 24 hours on the road to see our granddaughter, NOT the mother-in-law. — Sad Grandparents

Dear Sad Grandparents: It’s understandable to want some quality time with your granddaughter. The best way to address this with your son is to keep the conversation focused on your relationship to your grandkids, not on pushing your mother-in-law away. That sets you up nicely for suggesting some one-on-one time, or perhaps a special outing, with your granddaughter.

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Annie Lane’s second anthology — “How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.