FEATURES
6A
Worried about empty nest
Dear Annie: I am a 49-year-old
father of twins, a boy and girl. They are
18 and will be headed for college soon,
and I am starting to get pretty worried
about the nest’s being empty once they
depart.
I love my wife. Our marriage has
been rocky at times, but we’ve stayed
together. There’s been no inidelity or
anything major. We’ve just had normal
couple issues about quality time spent
together and household annoyances,
such as not emptying the dishwasher
and leaving stubble around the sink in
the bathroom.
For the past 18 years, the kids have
been our focus. In a few months, that
focus moves out.
I am worried about myself. These
days, when I come home from work,
I check in with the kids. I help with
homework. I go to their basketball
games. After they leave, I will have
nothing to do.
I am worried about my wife, too.
Her life is these kids. She cooks for
them. She drives for them (which is
shocking, considering they both have
their driver’s licenses). They are her
world, and that will be gone after they
leave.
Yes, I am looking forward to spend-
ing more time with my wife, but there
are only so many episodes of “House
of Cards” we can watch. Is there any-
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
thing I can do to prepare for this depar-
ture? — Deserted Dad
Dear Deserted: Change can be a
wonderful thing. It can also be terrify-
ing, disorienting and sad. The key is to
embrace it.
Your kids will no longer depend
on you the way they once did, but this
means you can now have a relationship
with them more akin to friendship. The
more mature they become the more
they’ll appreciate you and their mom.
And they’ll still need plenty of help as
they navigate the world of adulthood.
You and your wife can use this
stage to behave like newlyweds again.
Go out on more dates. Relearn what
it’s like to have free time. Most impor-
tantly, talk about the transition you’re
both going through, as you are in a per-
fect position to understand and support
each other. The nest isn’t totally empty
as long as you’ve got each other. (Net-
lix doesn’t hurt.)
Dear Annie: I am a 14-year-
old girl. I have known “Mia” since
the third grade, when we instantly
became the best of friends. Unfor-
tunately, things have not been great
with us lately because Mia spends so
much time on social media. She has
been constantly “chatting” with differ-
ent people, who are complete strang-
ers, over the internet. She has even met
up with some of these people in per-
son. I am worried that she may be put-
ting herself in danger. What is so sad
is that she has a messed-up family,
and nobody is supervising her when it
comes to social media.
I am nervous that she will send
naked pictures of herself or get lured
into prostitution or something else ter-
rible because she does not have good
judgment and is not making smart
choices. What should I do? Please
help. — Concerned Friend
Dear Concerned: Your worries
are 100 percent justiied. It’s not just
that Mia may put herself in further
danger; she already is putting herself
in danger by talking to strangers online
and even meeting up with them in per-
son unsupervised. You need to enlist
the help of your mom and dad. They
can talk to Mia’s parents or other adults
in her life who will look out for her best
interests, such as a guidance counselor.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). If the task
you’re on is less than fascinating, try giving
it even more of your attention. The details
— the glorious, captivating details — will
enthrall you if you give them a chance.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The ones
who work hard and play hard understand
your pattern of extremes. You may find your-
self trying to explain it, but unless they share
your passionate intensity, this is a wasted
effort. Seek the company of kindred spirits.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Just because
you believe it doesn’t make it true. In fact,
one of your dearly held beliefs is not only
false; it’s getting in the way of you being able
to achieve your goal. You’ve an inkling what
this is about. Are you ready to take it on?
CANCER (June 22-July 22). The way
you look and the way you feel don’t always
match up perfectly, but there’s a correlation.
It won’t matter if you work from the inside
out or the outside in: You can bring yourself
up to a new level from either angle.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You don’t always
claim credit for the marvelous outcomes
you create. Often you give others more
credit than they deserve in order to raise
morale. This will be one of those times.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Asking for, lis-
tening to and acting on feedback will lead
to you improving in ways you couldn’t have
seen on your own. In a related story, you’ll
soon have a major advantage over your
competition.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You know
enough to continue a project on your own,
and yet you ask for more opinions and infor-
mation. That’s the smart way. The more you
learn, the better your work will be.
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll be
very aware of what you are feeling and
you’ll process less comfortable emotions
quickly and effectively then move toward the
positive spectrum you want to get to.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You
gave the controls over to someone who
didn’t handle it well. It seemed like the
right thing to do at the time, but times have
changed. There will be an opportunity to
discreetly and graciously take back the
power.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You love
a good story, and today delivers. There’s
more here than you’ll understand at first
listen. Revisit later. The tale will continue to
develop for the next few days.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You expect
yourself to be organized. It’s not always the
case. Since it feels to you like any amount of
time you spend looking for things is a waste,
the time you spend creating a better system
will be worthwhile.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You feel
a strong empathy with one who is going
through an intense experience. Empathy is
a powerful expression of love. The more you
apply it, the more it widens your perception
and opens your heart.
THURSDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 4). You’ll
derive happiness from branching out to
the novel and untried in your personal life
over the next 10 weeks. Someone new will
be attracted to your courage. You’ll have a
tendency in 2017 to be idealistic in relation-
ships, and yet people will rise to your high
standards, which will sometimes be thrilling.
Gemini and Pisces adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 30, 1, 11, 2, 33