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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2015 FEATURES 5A Disrespectful daughters-in-law Tomorrow’s horoscope By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. Dear Annie: I have two daugh- ters-in-law who seem disrespect- ful to me. The first one only visits on Christmas day. Yet she has no problem calling when she wants me to take her kids to a doctor’s appointment or pick them up from school. The other one does the same, but her excuse is that they are too busy to see me because they are spending time with her side of the family or they are hav- ing friends over. I don’t want to waste any more of my time on people who have no other use for me, and this upsets my husband no end. But, Annie, it’s simply not fair. I am entitled to some respect. Why do these women think I owe them every- thing, but they never reciprocate? — Mother-in-Law from Hell Dear Mother-in-Law: Respect has to be earned, no matter who you are. A relationship with an in- law takes time and effort from both sides. Apparently, you get to see the grandchildren. Some parents would be thrilled to have that much. Do you see your sons without their wives? If not, you should speak directly to them about it. Never denigrate or criticize their wives. Instead, we urge you to do what you can to warm up these re- Annie’s Mailbox Creators Syndicate Inc. Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar lationships. Let your daughters-in- law know how much you appreciate them for being supportive wives to your sons and good parents to the children (we hope they are). Find something to like about them if it kills you. Invite all of them over for dinner or bring dinner to them. Have a “girls’ day out” and take the daughters-in-law for brunch and bonding. If you can keep your side positive and friendly, they are more likely to respond in kind. Dear Annie: Every year, my four closest friends and I host birthday parties for one another. We call ourselves “soul sisters.” Because we are all settled with homes and families, we decided that it would be fun to create an individual wish list prior to our birthday party. It makes it easier to shop, and we won’t receive un- needed items. One of our “soul sisters” creates an extensive and very detailed wish list. However, when it comes to gifts for others, she disregards our lists entirely, ignoring our sugges- tions and buying things we can’t use, don’t want and often cannot return. I end up donating these items to our local thrift store. I know that these are gifts and we should be grateful, but this has really begun to bother me. Her birthday is coming up, and I would like to buy her something that isn’t on her list to see how she responds. What do you think? — Soulless Dear Soulless: We understand your frustration, and you certainly could try turning the tables to see whether it makes a difference. You also can ask her directly why she never gets things on the list. She may, in fact, resent having to pur- chase things that you are asking for. These are your “soul sisters” and such a conversation should not be that difficult. Your group of friends could also decide not to buy each other gifts altogether. And, of course, you can simply consider these gifts to be unex- pected bonuses (instead of expect- ed obligations) and keep donating them to worthy causes. 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). The saying is that “no news is good news,” and yet more often “no news” is neither good nor bad; it just doesn’t involve you. Go where the communication naturally flows back to you. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You have many friends, but sometimes it seems like you lack that one who gets you. That’s why it’s wonderful today when you tell your sto- ry and it is met with the response you were going for. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’re not a shallow thinker, but it’s often more efficient to make assumptions based on the surface evidence. Make an effort to doing some re- search that you believe will be a waste of time. Tonight, it won’t be. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You can’t be everywhere, and even if you could be, it wouldn’t do you any good. As the Roman philosopher Seneca said, “To be every- where is to be nowhere.” LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Think about what you are creating. When you find yourself fo- cusing on what you need and want instead, correct your brain by gently telling your mind to go back to building on what you have. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The confu- sion is strong, and it comes from having too many choices. What would please you the most? What would do the most good for those around you? What feels right? Trust your answers. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You started at your goal and planned backward. Now you’re finding that several of the steps took longer and cost more than expected. Adjust the plan; don’t abandon it. This will still work. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You don’t have to whack your way through the weeds, because there’s a path. Ask around to find out where it is. Someone would love to guide you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). When you say “yes” to one thing, you are closing yourself off to all the other options. It’s scary, but it’s right. Make a commitment. Instead of restricting you, the decision will liberate you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Usually, you get a better perspective by backing off of your problem. Today is different. Getting closer will help you more. Bring your emo- tional magnifying glass to the situation and figure out what’s really going on. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The peo- ple some consider to be lost souls look more like free spirits to you. You’ve always been drawn to nontraditional thinkers, and that’s why you’ve amassed such an eclectic group of friends. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re getting the inside scoop. What you’ll hear is the world accord- ing to the person speaking. There are many different truths to a situation. Listen without judgment. TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (June 16). De- cisiveness is your cosmic b-day gift. You know what you want, so decide how and move toward your goals. Friendships are the gold of July and August, and shared ex- periences will bond you for years to come. September brings a daring personal risk. Make sure you can trust someone before you give your heart. Pisces and Virgo peo- ple adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1, 28, 33, 19 and 5.
