Dear Queenie,
I’m fifteen and I want to go to college when I get out of high school, but no one in my family has ever gone, not my parents or any of my sisters or brothers, and my parents say they can’t afford it anyway.
All my friends say I’m just being a snob and trying to show off how smart I think I am.
Queenie, do you think I should give up the idea?—Ambitious teenager
Dear Ambitious teenager,
No, I do not think you should give up the idea. For one thing, statistics show that people who have a college education have a far greater income throughout their lives than those who don’t.
I have never heard from anyone who regretted going to college, but I have had plenty of letters from people who didn’t go and wished later on that they had.
If money is a problem, plan to go to University of St. Martin to start. You will have a better chance of receiving government assistance and, if necessary, you can transfer to a college abroad later on. You will also be able to work part-time while you are going to school.
You could also do some research on the Internet. Many colleges in the United States have scholarships available especially for foreign students. You might qualify for one of those.
Dear Queenie,
Often on a road in Union Farm you see dead dogs, cats, rats, chickens, mongoose, goats, sheep, etc. Sometimes the driver who killed them moves the carcass from the road into the bushes. But often they leave it until someone else takes care of it or it rots away by itself. Sometimes the smell is so terrible for those people who walk on that road.
The problem is that maybe the driver doesn’t see the animals by night, because the road doesn’t have any streetlights. Union Farm is private land; maybe the owner or owners don’t give the government or GEBE any permission to put streetlights on that road.
If it happens to animals it can happen to human beings too. Thank God it didn’t happen yet. I think that the government should close that road for traffic by night for the safety of the people. Put some kerosene lanterns to alleviate the problem, and to make it possible for people who live in Union Farm to drive through another road by night to reach home.
Queenie, what do you think about the idea?—Union Farm resident
Dear Union Farm resident,
I’m not familiar with area at night, but it sounds like a good idea.
Are there people living along that road? If so, each house could put out a light at night and the road would be fairly well lit. You don’t have to wait for government to do it, you know.
Perhaps you could take the matter up with your community council. And if there is no community council in the area, perhaps it’s time to form one. I understand the members of the St. Peters Community Council would be happy to assist.
Dear Queenie,
My sister is always complaining about people (mostly women, it seems) who call their children, friends, relatives, whoever, to dump on them about their problems.
I used to have the same problem with our mother, but my boyfriend, who is a psychologist, taught me a wonderful trick that worked like a charm and I’ll bet would work for other folks too, so would you pass it on?
Queenie, tell them when the person is dumping on them, they shouldn’t give the person any sympathy, they should just repeat back whatever the person is saying. Like if my mother starts complaining that my Dad doesn’t take her out often enough, I repeat back to her, “So you’re telling me Dad doesn’t take you out very often.” And so on.
But (now here’s the good part) when she talks pleasantly about something, like if she says it’s a nice day, I give her lots of good conversation on the subject: “Yes, isn’t the weather great? I’ll bet your garden is blooming. Mine sure is!” And so on and so on. It’s called positive feedback and it works every time.—Undumped-on daughter
Dear Daughter,
It’s a great idea. I tried it out on my least favourite caller and, as you say, it worked like a charm, although it took a little while. Thanks for your input.
Dear Queenie,
One of my husband’s friends is always bragging about his sexual exploits. He doesn’t know I happen to work with one of the women he brags about and I don’t believe he is telling the truth about her because I have met her husband and I am sure they are happily married.
Queenie, should I tell her what he is saying or keep my mouth shut?—Co-worker
Dear Co-worker,
By all means tell her. She has a right to know if someone is slandering her, so she can take the appropriate action. And if he is telling the truth, she should know that her behaviour is no secret!
You will probably know from her reaction which is the case.
Dear Queenie,
In another advice column I read a letter about a little girl 13 years old who wanted to start dating boys her age and the columnist advised her mother to let her start dating but to keep a close eye on what was going on.
I did not agree with some of that advice. Why? Because I am 20 years old. I wouldn’t let my daughter date guys at that age. Thirteen years old is very young. I don’t say that she can’t have any friends, but keep it there right now, no relationships at all.
She has to study her lessons. That doesn’t mean that she can’t have fun, but she has to focus on what she should be doing. She must try and make something out of herself. I find the mother very right about her. I think the girl has to try to focus more on her school.
Queenie, I also think that the mother needs to talk more with her.—Second opinion
Dear Second opinion,
If you will go back and read the girl’s letter again you will see that she was not asking to have a relationship or to start dating, but just to be allowed to have a friend who is a boy and for her parents to meet him and get to know him.
If you are only 20 years old you are young enough to remember what it felt like to be 13. Telling a girl that age not to be interested in boys is like telling the tide not to come in. But certainly at that age she needs adult supervision, and she was not trying to avoid it. Rather, she was asking her mother to let her take the first steps toward growing up, under her parents’ watchful eyes.
Thanks for writing.
