FEATURES
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015
5A
Mom makes good girl feel bad Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
Dear Annie: I am 17 years old.
I have a job that requires I work
only a few times a month, and the
staff can trade shifts if they choose.
I have been at this job for two years,
and I enjoy it.
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was taken advantage of quite a lot.
People would constantly ask me to
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out they had nothing particular go-
ing on to require it. I learned how to
say no, because I don’t really trust
some of them. I agree to change
shifts with people who ask me in ad-
vance or tell me what’s going on, but
have become wary of those who ask
at the last minute.
The problem is my mother. She
always makes me feel as though I’m
not behaving properly. When I’m
asked to switch shifts for no good
reason, she says, “Why didn’t you
say yes? You’re supposed to say
yes.” I then get a lecture on how I
need to be more responsible and
more understanding when people
have other things to do with their
time.
I know that most people’s inten-
tions are good, but I don’t want to
be taken advantage of. Why doesn’t
my mother think I’m good enough?
I don’t drink, I go to church, I obey
my parents, and I’m in the National
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy Mitchell
and
Marcy Sugar
Honor Society. People say my moth-
er is lucky to have a daughter like
me, but I don’t feel that from her.
I don’t mean to sound conceit-
ed, but I’m starting to get tired of
always being good. I’m scared I
may just stop trying. — Not Good
Enough
Dear Not Good: Everyone needs
to feel that their efforts are appre-
ciated, and kids especially need to
know that their parents believe them
to be good people. We think your
mother knows this, but she worries.
She doesn’t want you to alienate the
people you work with, but you are
right to set boundaries for yourself
(as long as you are polite about it). It
engenders respect.
But please don’t use your moth-
er’s fretting as an excuse to go off the
rails. Talk to her. Reassure her that
you are not expected to say “yes” to
every request. Let her know that she
has done a great job raising you and
now must allow you to make your
own decisions and live with the con-
sequences, so you can learn to be the
responsible adult she expects. Enlist
her support and cooperation. Ask for
her advice. It will make her happy to
know you still value it.
Dear Annie: This is in response
to the “horror stories” that wom-
en tell pregnant mothers-to-be. As
an obstetrician (retired), with over
5,000 babies delivered, here is what
I call Dr. Elfmont’s Rule of Preg-
nancy:
Never listen to what people (your
mother, grandmother, aunts, etc.)
tell you about their pregnancies —
you’re too big or too small for your
due date; you’re carrying high (or
low) and that means it’s a boy (or a
girl); you’ve gained too much or too
little weight; they were in terrible la-
bor for 197 hours, etc.
I told my patients that nobody
in the history of human civilization
had ever given birth to the particu-
lar baby they were carrying, that the
odds were overwhelming for a nor-
mal labor and delivery, and if there
were any problems, I’d be there to
take care of them. — Dr. John Elf-
mont in Redondo Beach, Calif.
Dear Dr. Elfmont: Well said.
Thank you for the reassuring words.
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). Come up
with good reasons to believe in yourself,
because there’s much you can do when
you have the confidence to dive in. Good
qualities, skills, accomplishments — add
them to your list.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Expect a
minor glitch as two of your responsibilities
conflict. You don’t have to choose between
them, but you will need to find someone to
help cover one of them.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Get out and
talk to people you don’t know. A stranger
looking at your life from the outside can see
wonderful aspects that you are currently
missing due to your inside, and overly fa-
miliar, position.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). It’s good to
be prepared, though over-planning leads to
proceedings that are forced and stiff. Trust
your natural spontaneity. Tonight, people
will feel brighter for having stepped into
your sphere of influence.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Make sure every-
one is taken care of, especially the low-pro-
file types. If one cog in the wheel breaks,
everything comes to a grinding halt. Most
“cogs” you encounter today can be fortified
with a little attention and good humor.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Open-mind-
ed people will try most things once. Adven-
turers will try them twice just to make sure
nothing was missed or mistaken about the
first time around.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Stay in sync
with your team. Quick calls will keep you up
to date. You’ll have to be the one to control
the conversations and keep them short,
because everyone wants your attention.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Jokes are
telling. Listen to what your loved ones say in
jest and what they laugh at in conversation,
and you’ll get valuable insights. It’s the ker-
nel of truth that makes things funny.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The
small kindness you extend will have an un-
foreseen larger benefit. The inconvenience
you run into will also work in your favor. The
good fortune of the day is a karmic payoff.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Plans
change, appointments get canceled, the
financial bottom line isn’t what you thought
it would be. Your decision not to let any of
this bother you earns you “cool” status in
someone’s book.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Make a
checklist of what you want, not because
you’re likely to get everything on it, but be-
cause becoming clear about your needs,
wants and priorities is a key step in the
manifestation of your desire.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your cre-
ative work gets the focus today. There is
a difference between being an artist and
a craftsman, but one is not better than the
other. Do you desire most to express your-
self or to master your craft?
SATURDAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 9).
You’ll love the unpredictable turns this
year takes. Connect with people from
your past for a totally new relationship. A
financial leap of faith is favored in June,
and you could double your money. July’s
single-minded focus will give you a com-
petitive edge, and you’ll have the trophy to
prove it by the end of the year. Cancer and
Virgo people adore you. Your lucky num-
bers are: 18, 14, 23, 40 and 9.