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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 2015)
FEATURES 8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015 Mom’s ‘cuddle time’ goes too far Tomorrow’s horoscope By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. Dear Annie: I am concerned about my grandson’s well-being. My daugh- ter has always had “cuddle time” with “Joey.” It was OK when he was little, but now that he is turning 7, it seems worse. Now she is talking about getting him a new bedroom set that will be big enough for the both of them. She says she sleeps better when she sleeps with Joey. I can only assume that means she doesn’t sleep much with her husband. I think this is getting a little bit out of hand. Joey is old enough to sleep by himself. What do you think of this? And what should we do, if anything? — Con- cerned Grandparents Dear Grandparents: It worries us when parents put their own needs above WKRVH RI WKHLU FKLOG DQG VHO¿VKO\ FRQ- vince themselves there’s nothing wrong with it. But there is. &XGGOHWLPHZLWK-RH\LV¿QH+H¶V only 7. But your daughter should not be sleeping with the boy or, worse, giving him the impression that they share a bed- room. This is not only terrible for Joey, but for her marriage. Most young boys adore their mothers, so the message she is sending Joey is confusing and dam- aging and sets up a rivalry with his fa- ther. Unless she wants Joey to spend his adulthood in therapy, tell her to stop this immediately. We hope she loves Joey enough to do what’s right. Annie’s Mailbox Creators Syndicate Inc. Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Dear Annie: I live in a Southern city, and many Northerners have moved here and attend our church. Most are delight- ful, and we love having them. But we are having a problem with one of the women. “Doris” is an eager volunteer and D FRPSHWHQW HI¿FLHQW ZRUNHU ZKR LV anxious to take on more responsibili- ties. Unfortunately, she also can be rude, aggressive, condescending and almost combative. We suspect she doesn’t in- WHQGWREHVRGLI¿FXOWEXWKHUGHPHDQRU unfortunately follows the old-fashioned stereotypical “New York pushy” attitude. We want Doris to feel welcome and LQFOXGHGLQPRUHDFWLYLWLHVEXWZH¿QG ourselves making excuses to stay out of KHUZD\+RZFDQZHOHWKHUNQRZWKDW her attitude is obnoxious? We don’t want to offend her. She has many good qual- ities, but needs to tone it down a whole lot to make herself more pleasant to be around. — Southern Sally Dear Sally: Some of Doris’ aggres- sive attitude may diminish over time, simply by being around others who are less so. But it’s certainly OK to say gently, “Doris, your enthusiasm is won- derful, but could you tone it down just a wee bit?” Say it with a genuine smile, and perhaps ask for her opinion on a different matter. She cannot modify her behavior if she is unaware that it needs work. Surely she would want the oppor- tunity to be less annoying rather than be isolated and rejected. Dear Annie: I would like to reach out to “Distraught,” who recently found out that his eldest son molested his sib- OLQJV+HZRQGHUHGZKHWKHUWKHHOGHVW son had been abused by a parish priest. I am greatly saddened by his loss and the pain endured by his family. I would like him to know that there is great hope for healing and that he and his family don’t have to struggle with this alone. Every Roman Catholic diocese in the United States has at least one individual who serves as a victim assistance coordi- nator. These coordinators are caring and compassionate people whose calling LVWRKHOSLQGLYLGXDOVDQGIDPLOLHV¿QG hope and healing after abuse. Please en- courage “Distraught” to contact a victim assistance coordinator through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at http:// bit.ly/18gelRJ — Grand Island, Neb. FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH STONE SOUP B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE ARIES (March 21-April 19). What does it matter that others have had greater chal- lenges than you in life? It doesn’t change the fact that your challenges, whatever size they may be, exist. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Opportunity will knock in the morning, and if you don’t answer, it disproves the cliche by coming back at lunchtime and again in the evening. Opportunity just really wants to connect with you. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your wel- coming attitude will attract both good and bad, so you might want to add a screen to that open-door policy. In other words, you’re better off employing a certain amount of psychic protection. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Maybe you felt like “less” right after certain events, but feelings can lie, too. The truth is that you are more because of what has happened to you in your life, and you’ll continue to build on your experiences. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You are loving and caring and creative. It doesn’t mean you have to embrace everyone and everything. When you’re not feeling it, just walk away so you can find something you are “feeling.” VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There’s a point at which your brain gets tired of work- ing on a problem. You’ll be tempted to work beyond that point in the name of being a productive person, but doing so would in actuality be counterproductive, so just stop! LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Grocery mer- chandisers put the milk in the back of the store so you’ll first have to pass a number of enticing items that aren’t on your list. You’ll use this principle to your benefit today. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Right after you resolve not to accidentally embarrass yourself (like the last time), you’ll learn that the last time was actually quite effective. Your offbeat instincts may be in perfect rhythm, after all. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). In the physical world, two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. In the emotional world, it feels possible. Maybe it is, maybe not. It’s something you’ll work on, though. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). What’s missing from a transaction is your person- al touch. Add that to the logic and balance of it, and things will swing in a direction that is best for all. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Many explorers have been wrongly credited with discovering new lands. It’s not a discov- ery if there are already people there. This is a time to be very careful and respectful about making claims. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You have a team, and things will work better when you first make sure that they are all on the same page. When everyone is working together, you’ll turn out a result that’s a source of pride for all. WEDNESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 25). This year you work fast so you can play slow and lavish your loved ones with the attention and affection that makes you feel so fulfilled to give. A discovery in March will help you determine where to go with your career. Your values change to support lifestyle im- provements in June. Travel is featured in August. Aries and Virgo people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1, 4, 44, 39 and 17.