FEATURES
6A
Time to get out of the nest
Dear Annie: I apparently failed
as a parent at teaching my daughter
inancial responsibility. I raised her
as a single parent and worked hard
to provide for us. After a few dificult
years when she was young, I achieved
a fair degree of inancial success as
a professional. I must have made
her think money grows on trees (or
comes out on demand from ATMs).
I was generous in helping her
through college and graduate school
and helping her buy her irst house.
Despite her master’s degree, she
makes very little money and struggles
inancially. I recently inherited some
money from my mother and told her
I would help her straighten out her
inancial mess. I asked her to send me
all her past-due bills and was shocked
and disgusted.
She has defaulted on numerous
credit cards (why do they keep giving
her more?), has lines of credit against
the house I helped her buy, owes
years of unpaid taxes, has stiffed mer-
chants (even her dentist) and has sev-
eral judgments against her for unpaid
debt.
She wants me to help her get a
“fresh start.” I am afraid that if I were
to help her wipe out her substan-
tial debt, she would just start all over
again and in a few years be back in
the same hole. I will have wasted my
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
mom’s inheritance. She is 38, and I
have no legal duty to pay her debts.
But if I were not to help, there would
be a huge rift between us. What is
your advice? — Distraught Mom
Dear Distraught: There’s an old
saying that there are two gifts parents
must give their children: roots so they
know where home is and wings so
they can take light. Tell your daugh-
ter she can sleep on your couch if she
loses her home. But let her pull herself
out of debt so she can learn what she’s
capable of. Keep expecting her to be a
deadbeat and she’ll gladly keep play-
ing the part.
Dear Annie: I have a dear friend
who is quite heavy and frequently
drops by. After a recent visit, I noticed
what looked like a large thread of fab-
ric hanging off the bottom of the seat
of the chair she had been in.
It turned out that the spring of the
seat was completely sagging and bro-
ken. You may ask how I know it was
the friend, and the answer is these
chairs were brand-new in 2007. I’ve
never had a problem before with
any furniture. Furthermore, during
a recent visit to my friend’s home, I
noticed an ofice chair in the living
room, and it was mentioned that the
reason it was there was the original
chair had been broken.
I don’t know what to do. She will
certainly be at my house again some-
time. I would never want to say any-
thing to make her feel bad, as I really
care about my friend. But what can
I tell her the next time she makes an
impromptu appearance? Would it be
rude to get a folding chair and direct
her to that?
I don’t want the chair broken
again. It’s part of a set, and I don’t
want to have to pay for more repairs
or have to buy a whole new set.
I need help on how to handle this
the right way. — Afraid to Tell Her
Dear Afraid: I am going to go out
on a limb here and say your friend is
more aware than anyone of her size.
Don’t fret that this situation will be
the irst time it’s been brought to her
attention — especially because there
was already a broken chair in her
house. The next time she stops by,
simply offer her another place to sit.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Self-accep-
tance creates the congruence you need to
move forward. If you’re not self-accepting
enough to feel comfortable in all you do, baby
steps toward self-love will still make a positive
difference.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When you
think, “I don’t have time for this!” but then “this!”
is all you’re doing, it’s a signal that the dispar-
ity between your higher self and lower self is
at its ultimate tensile strength. What gives?
Roll toward your chosen side and hang on.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your social
graces will put you in an excellent position
with a group you might have been intimidated
by once upon a time. Now you realize you’re
in the same league, and you’re about to find
out more about the games.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Set the pac-
es. So what if they have to run to keep up with
you? They need the “exercise.” Besides, they
are depending on you to keep them at the top
of their game.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Commitment is
the essence of style. Once you’ve made your
choice, wear it and wear it hard. And if you
didn’t make your choice, and you’re dealing
with the product of un-intention, this is all the
more reason to own it.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll be im-
pressed by someone’s talent, productivity or
behavior. Truly, it’s because you have these
same capabilities. You’ve exercised them in
the past. You’ll do it again in the near future.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Don’t expect a
smooth, straight ride. Roll with the turmoil,
keeping your goal in mind the entire time.
You’ll likely land with what you desire, safe
inside your grasp.
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). This is no
time to let things linger. If ignoring the prob-
lem isn’t working and you simply can’t leave
the situation alone, gather up your inner fire
and get ready to deal directly, head-on. Kill it
with one punch.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The one
who shares a bad mood with you is a true
friend. Some would call this emotional dump-
ing, or venting, but you just call it “having a
gripe.” There’s a bond building here.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Even
though social media makes this harder and
harder, to a large extent you’re still in control
of what people know about you. You’ll spend
some of the day shaping your image to max-
imum effect.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Try not to
blame the poor ignorant souls who throw a
wrench in the works out of sheer inexperi-
ence. Those who know better will do better.
Teach them and help them practice until they
get it right.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The superstar
may exhibit great strengths but that doesn’t
mean they can show you the way. The best
instructors will be the ones with marginal tal-
ent who have made just about every mistake
there is to make.
WEDNESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 17).
The cosmos trumpet a welcome to your year
of big love. You’ll give and receive at a more
immersive level and feel what it’s like to be
a fixture in the lives of others. This will bring
pressure at times, as well as pleasure and joy
beyond measure. Family life improves in Jan-
uary when an agitation is eliminated or a wild
element tamed. Scorpio and Libra adore you.
Lucky numbers: 3, 22, 14, 39 and 50.