6A
FEATURES
Is this an abusive streak?
Dear Annie: I have a friend that she didn’t want to hurt my
I’ve known for at least 15 years. feelings. I asked myself and my
A month ago, I invited her and her kids, “Am I really abusive?”
Both of my kids told me that
husband for dinner. When both of
my kids told me they didn’t want I am a little stricter than the aver-
her over, I couldn’t believe it. I age parent and have a tendency
asked why. I told them that she’s to scream a lot, but not more than
most parents when they’re
always been good to them
DEAR
angry about what the kids
and she’d love to see them,
did or did not do.
especially my son, who
ANNIE
I’m still going to have
has been away at college.
dinner with this woman.
My son told me she
After dinner, the children
isn’t really my friend, that
will probably take off and
she only pretends she is
go to their rooms, as they
because she thinks I am
truly don’t want anything
an abusive parent and she
to do with her anymore. I
feels sorry for my kids.
Lane
thought I would confront
Apparently, she has felt Annie
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
her after dinner and give
this way for years, ever
her a chance to explain
since my daughter was
having a birthday party and I why she has tried to turn my chil-
wouldn’t let her have cake because dren against me. I really did think
she wouldn’t eat her dinner. He she was my friend for so many
also relayed her thought that I am years.
Do you think this is the right
a horrible parent because I won’t
play games with my kids. I have course of action? — Hurt and
a really bad fear of playing games Confused in Kansas
Dear Hurt: Yes, talk to your
with people, which is no differ-
ent from being scared of snakes or friend — but think of it as a con-
versation rather than a confron-
being claustrophobic.
I asked my daughter whether tation; otherwise, you’re setting
this is the reason she doesn’t want yourself up for a hostile interac-
this woman over, and she said yes. tion. Give her a chance to explain
She said the only reason she did herself. There’s a lot to be said for
not tell me about this sooner was hearing it from the source. You
might want to go for a walk or out
for coffee, to be in a neutral space
and away from the kids.
And I would suggest look-
ing inward. Is it possible you do
raise your voice too loudly and
too often? I know we all lose our
cool from time to time, but there
are better ways to get one’s point
across than yelling.
Dear Annie: In response
to “Grieving for Snoopy,” you
printed “The Rainbow Bridge,”
a poem by Steve and Diane
Bodofsky. I know that the poem
was written with good intentions,
but it never did a thing for me. The
best advice to give a grieving pet
owner, in my opinion, is to suggest
that when she’s ready, she should
go find that special dog or cat
waiting at a local animal shelter. It
won’t be “the same,” but it will be
an individual with a unique, lov-
able nature. I still miss my old dog
from way back when, but I no lon-
ger grieve.
Five years ago, we reluctantly
took care of a kitten. It was “just
for a while” because we didn’t
want a cat. Now he’s the heart of
our family, the mellowest of fel-
lows. As Mark Twain said, a house
is not a home without a cat. Or a
dog. — Kay from New Paltz, N.Y.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Who has time
to judge other people? Judges. Well, they’re
getting paid for it. Anyone who judges but
isn’t getting paid for it simply doesn’t have
enough excitement to draw the focus else-
where.
dynamic plays out today.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Better to take
one piece of good advice and apply it to your
life than to listen to 60 adages and apply
none.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). No opportunity
can be written off today. Big and small, seize
them all! Be on the lookout for opportunities
that don’t really seem like they are. Those
are the ones to catch.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Bottom
line: If you are worried about rejection, then
your fear is stronger than your desire. It’s not
a good place to come from in business, and
it’s a disastrous position if pleasure is your
aim.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The current
problems are not interrupting your joy; in
fact, they are a nice big slice of your joy.
Somewhere in you, you know that you can
overcome this, and overcome it you will.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your mind
can be crueler to you than any person has
ever been. Do not let negative thinking keep
you from taking an exciting risk. If you desire
it, you can break your mental chains.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You might
know what the expectation would typically be
in a given situation, but since there are indi-
viduals involved whose minds you can’t read,
you don’t know what the expectation actually
is. So, you may as well suit yourself.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Remember
when you went from one serious relationship
straight into another and missed out on all
that fun? What you learned from that will
inform your weekend.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The one with the
biggest picture wins every time. Today’s win:
The side benefits will outweigh the real ones.
This will happen because you’re playing a
larger game than the one at the table you’re
sitting around.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Everyone on
the earth’s face wants to feel better, but each
will go about it in different ways. Today, your
tolerance for another person’s methods will
make both of your lives easier.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Just as there
are spaces in your home that you don’t use,
there are spaces in your psyche that go un-
touched — that is, until certain people come
along. You’ll enjoy how the related emotional
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
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People like
the idea of winging things spontaneously,
because that feels fun in the mind. But when
it translates to real life, well, it could go a lot
of ways. And it will. It can’t hurt to also have a
plan in your back pocket.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 13). It’s
not enough for you to have a good experi-
ence, because you’re looking for epic. You’ll
get that, too, especially when you make
an effort in March (and then again with a
ripe opportunity of June). Hard workers
inspire you to work even harder in the hot
months. You’ll sock away money to focus on
an August opportunity. Taurus and Gemini
adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 30, 20,
12 and 1.