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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2018)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 FEATURES Mom’s house of horrors Dear Annie: I am a stay-at- tioning them to parents. home mom with three children I have voiced concern about under the age of 6. They currently the amount of processed food go to their grandmother’s (my given for most meals and snacks, mother’s) day care one day a week as well as the amount of time the to give me a chance to run errands television stays on during the day. and do extra housework. Lately, I have spoken with other par- ents who have similar I have noticed signs of DEAR concerns. negligence. Some are I could go on and minor, such as dirty faces ANNIE on with my list of com- and rear ends not prop- erly wiped. Some are plaints. The bottom more serious, such as a line, however, is that I 2-year-old child’s being don’t want my children left unattended outside to spend time at their with a small kiddie pool. grandmother’s house Children frequently play without me anymore, but Lane unsupervised in a base- Annie I don’t want to ruin the Creators Syndicate Inc. ment with litter boxes relationship I have with and alcoholic bever- my mother. I’m not sure ages within reach. Bathrooms are how straightforward to be with often unsanitary, and the play area her, as she is not likely to change smells of cat urine. her practices after 30 years. (She Additionally, I have witnessed most likely behaved the same my mother calling children names way when I was a child, and now and talking cruelly about them in I’m in therapy.) I’m also not sure front of other children. My chil- whether her day care should be dren also report this happening reported to any authorities. Any when I am not around. She has suggestions would be most wel- even spanked one of my chil- come. — Concerned Parent dren out of frustration, which she Dear Concerned Parent: Act didn’t tell me but confirmed later first as a concerned parent and when questioned. It is not unusual second as a concerned daughter, for accidents to happen at the day because it’s the children at this care without her knowing or men- day care who need you most right now. Place an anonymous tip with the relevant local agency (find out what agency that is in your state at http://www.daycareabuse.com/ how-to-report) and let the author- ities confront your mother about her negligence. Encourage other parents to file complaints, too. And if you ever witness a child being physically abused or oth- erwise put in immediate danger, dial 911. Dear Annie: I’m writing because I’ve seen several people write to you to complain of friends or relatives who repeat stories. My elder brother shared this help- ful hint with me when I was car- ing for my 88-year-old father and 90-year-old uncle. Each time you are listening to a repeated story, you must come up with a different question to ask about that particu- lar story. Because you have heard it before, you don’t need to lis- ten as intently — and it keeps you from becoming aggravated, as your mind is distracted with try- ing to come up with a new ques- tion. — Grateful Sister Dear Grateful Sister: I love this tip because it’s a way to improve our listening skills and become more compassionate. Thanks for sharing. 5A TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). You tend to put pressure on yourself. Some of it is appropriate and is absolutely what you need to succeed; some of it is totally unnecessary. Today you’ll figure out the difference. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There are three kinds of luck: the kind you are born into, the kind you stumble into and the kind you make by put- ting yourself in situations with great potential. Of course, you can only really control the last kind. And you will today! GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Happiness doesn’t always make you smile. Sometimes it makes you holler, sometimes it makes you cry and some- times it dumbfounds you into a state of perfect, blissful neutrality. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You figure out that you simply don’t need as much as you thought you would, so you can let go and watch your energy level rise. Also, your connection with a fire sign (Aries, Leo or Sagittarius) will raise your energy. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Thinking back to your behavior from your younger days will make you cringe. Years from now, you’ll cringe about some- thing you did just yesterday. But it’s all growth, trying and learning. Stay light, laugh, forgive and keep going. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Friends and stories will be the great treasure of your day. You’ll be surprised by what some people remember about your times together and this will add to your own recollections. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Time can seem like a bully. But bullies can be stopped. Stand up to time — show it who’s boss. Take control of your schedule by filling it with what you want to do instead of reacting to every petty demand that’s 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 made of you. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You know when people say they’re ready, but then it turns out that they are not ready at all? It irritates you so much that you’ll take extra measures today just to make sure you’re not “that person.” SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Sometimes the conditions are perfect for slipping into a sweet spot of productivity. Then there are days like today, when you have to practically bribe yourself to get your head in the game. Hey — that’s not a bad idea! CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ve seen time and again how apparently small and trivial events can have disproportionately influential consequences. Today will present another instance of this, though it will take you months to detect the moment. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re really not sure where the next lucky break is coming from — the last one was so long ago that you’re starting to forget it. This is a fine time to arrange for yourself to be in as many potential hot spots as you can foresee. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There’s a point in which trying too hard to change a negative behavior becomes an even more negative behavior. Obsessing over improvement is not im- provement. Try self-compassion and acceptance. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 21). You have changed your definition of success. Because of this, the wins you create this solar return will fa- vorably affect more people than ever before. Your investment in learning will transform your work picture. A faithful companion is along for the ad- venture come June. November brings domestic improvements. Libra and Taurus adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 30, 2, 28 and 10.
