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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2017)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017 FEATURES All-consuming video game Dear Annie: I gave my Worried Parent in New York Dear Worried: Imaginative 5-year-old son a PlayStation 4 for Christmas. He has since play is important, healthy and logged countless hours on his intellectually stimulating. (Just new favorite game, “The Elder think how impressive it is that Scrolls V: Skyrim.” I would at 5, your son learned a whole have no problem with this, new language.) But it’s not so wonderful when he except he has played DEAR starts to imagine him- the game so much that self as the boss of you he has mastered the ANNIE (with an army of drag- made-up language and, ons at his command, to whenever I try to talk wit). I would limit the about his newfound amount of time that he obsession, pretends that is allowed to play the he can’t understand me game, and I’d provide and that he can speak other outlets for his cre- only the dragon lan- Lane ativity, such as arts and guage. He keeps run- Annie Creators Syndicate Inc. crafts. ning around the house When his behavior in a loincloth trying to pickpocket his siblings and me. becomes too much, talk to him When he is discovered, he swats and tell him to stop. Explain that at us with whatever his sword is no one likes to be hit with any that day. We’ve been paddled instrument or have her pock- with spatulas, wooden spoons, ets picked. Be firm, as children empty paper towel rolls and crave boundaries. Remember more. The most recent time I that you are in charge, not him. Dear Annie: I read the let- tried to take the system away, he ran into the woods and tried to ter from “Stuck in a Rut” and wanted to offer another resource call dragons out of the sky. Annie, how do I remove to him. Though he identified such unnatural and annoying himself as having “a mild form tendencies from my son? It of autism called Asperger’s syn- has gone beyond cute, and it is drome,” that mild form and his now obnoxious. Any advice? — lack of work history may be enough to qualify him for ser- vices through his state voca- tional rehabilitation program. VR is a type of program that helps people with diagnosed disabilities gain employment. These programs have a vari- ety of services that they pro- vide at no cost, and the counsel- ors who work in the programs are skilled at identifying and alleviating the barriers certain people have, whether it’s their own impairment or a societal bias. The counselors focus on abilities and strengths and do amazing work helping people to achieve success in the pro- fessional world. I would really encourage “Stuck in a Rut” to explore that option in order to obtain employment that may be more in line with his strengths and abilities than his previous work of busing tables. — Wish- ing You Well Dear Wishing: Thank you for this excellent practical tip. I’ve passed it along to “Stuck in a Rut,” with the hope that it can get the ball rolling for him. People looking for more information can check with their state’s department of reha- bilitation or comparable agency. 5A TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). It’s uncomfortable not being in control. Of course, it’s especially hard to let go and trust when you have reason to doubt the leader. Today it might even be grounds for taking over the leadership position. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It’s not an exag- geration to say that sometimes love matters to you as much as life itself. Therefore, you can’t really overthink it. It’s complex and mystical and completely worthy of all the thought you put into it. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Productivity doesn’t always manifest in the same way. If you can help another person behave better, kinder and with more awareness of the big picture, you’ve done more than your share. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Do not under- estimate the power of nonconformity. It can, in fact, change the world. As you customize your lifestyle to suit yourself instead of the social norms, new contours will emerge. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You want to override bad memories by adding good ones. Bad memories tend to have more impact (a func- tion of biology), so it will take quite a few more good ones to do the trick. It’s a worthy use of your time and energy today. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Is love a serious illness? You may wonder this, because you feel physically terrible when your love suffers and absolutely high when your beloved is joyful and mutually enamored. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You don’t have to reach out, communicate better or be proactive in the least. You’ve done the work already. Now the path before you is being cleared. Trust and be ready to move forward. 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 enjoy mak- ing predictions and then waiting to be proven wrong or right. It doesn’t matter either way, though, because this is about your creation, really. Whatever really happens, you will be the one who made it so. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The differ- ence between romantic love and platonic love can be a close call. Also, things can change along the way — creating new mixes, different chemistry and fresh experiences. Stay open to possibility. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). In your quest for truth, do not let yourself be diverted by what you wish to believe or by what you wish everyone believed. The only way to see what’s really there is to do away with expectation. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Instead of con- cerning yourself with what’s equitable. Though it makes sense to think in terms of equitable distribution of tasks, attention, money, etc., it just won’t happen. Create something that works for both people. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re plenty smart enough; it’s just that reason and logic are not going to lead you through the situation. Your instinct will get you there. All you have to do is listen and follow. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (May 17). You will create a contract for what you want to change in your life this year, and you’ll find the inner drive and resources (including the right peo- ple) to help you make that happen. Distractions part. Mostly, your desired result will be front and center of your mind, which makes this one of the most productive years to date. Cancer and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 18, 9, 40, 13 and 20.
