Dear Queenie,

  How old do you have to be before your parents stop worrying about you?

  I’m all grown up with grown-up children of my own and my parents still worry about everything I do like they did when I was a kid.

  Queenie, how do I convince them that I’m just fine without them checking up on everything I do?—All grown up now

Dear All grown up,

  Could it be that your parents are not as worried about you as they are concerned about what will happen to them if something bad happens to you? Try to be patient with them.

Dear Queenie,

  My boyfriend and I have been living together for a couple of years now. Sometimes he will open a package that has been delivered that is addressed to me and when I tried to talk to him about this he said it was because he thought it was something for the house so he thought it would be okay.

  Queenie, how can I get him to not do this?—Disrespected

Dear Disrespected,

  You might try pointing out to him that tampering with someone else’s mail is not only disrespectful, it is also illegal.

  You might also start wondering whether he is also checking your phone messages and e-mail.

  As far as the mail is concerned, you could rent a post office box in your name only and have all your mail delivered there. But you should also consider seriously what your boyfriend’s attitude toward your personal mail (and possibly other personal communications) says about your overall relationship with him.

Dear Queenie,

  My daughter got divorced after being married only a couple of years because of some serious matters that she found out her husband had lied to her about.

  While they were separated and the divorce was going on she started dating another man and now that the divorce is final they are planning to get married.

  Queenie, what kind of wedding do you think would be proper?—Mother of the bride-to-be

Dear Mother,

  Under the circumstances, I would suggest a small, even a private ceremony.

  However, I would also suggest that your daughter not rush into another marriage so quickly, considering how her first one turned out, and that she might consider professional counselling before getting married again.

Dear Queenie,

  When my parents moved into a much smaller home with very little storage space, they gave me a lot of boxes of old photos and letters and other memorabilia like Mom’s wedding dress.

  I don’t have a lot of storage space myself, so I’ve been going through these things trying to decide what to keep and what to do with the things I don’t want. It doesn’t seem right to just throw any of it away.

  Queenie, what do you suggest?—Overloaded with stuff I don’t want

Dear Overloaded,

  You can start by consulting your and your parents’ relatives and friends, and giving them any of these things that interest them. Then you can donate to charity any items that might be of use to some needy person. And a local historical society or museum might be interested in some of the old letters and/or photos if no one else wants them.