Dear Queenie,
I have a friend who is physically attractive, smart and has a good sense of humour, but she just can’t keep a man interested for more than one date and I know why – it’s because she just won’t shut up. She talks and talks and if the guy manages to get a word in she interrupts him and goes on and on without listening to what he has to say.
Queenie, should I tell her what her problem is?—Concerned friend
Dear Friend,
You can try, but it is not likely that she will listen. And if she does, she may just be insulted and not take to heart what you have said.
Dear Queenie,
Now that he is getting older my husband sometimes has trouble getting it up, if you know what I mean. He is worried that I will think it means he doesn’t love me anymore, but I know it’s just a matter of his age.
Queenie, how can I reassure him?—Sympathetic wife
Dear Wife,
Your husband should go to his doctor for a thorough medical exam. His problem could be just a matter of his age, but it also could be related to a real physical condition that needs to be treated. He should find out sooner than later.
Dear Queenie,
I am happily married woman. A man I know from where I work told me he was attracted to me and if I was interested he would like to take me out. I found this flattering, but of course I said “no.”
Queenie, if he asks me again would it be wrong to just go with him for a drink and some conversation?—Can’t get him off my mind
Dear Can’t,
It would be a very bad idea, to say the least.
This guy is after more than just some conversation. And the chances are he tries the same tricks with a lot of women and is not looking for more than a casual hook-up. Do you really want to risk your marriage for something like that?
Dear Queenie,
When my daughter-in-law went to the hospital to have her first baby she said she didn’t want anyone but her husband there on the day the baby was born because she wanted time to bond with her baby.
I brought some flowers for her and gave them to my son to give to her and he took me to the nursery to get a peek at the baby through a window. When his wife found out I had been there she got upset and now she won’t let me see my grandchild at all.
Queenie, how can I make this right?—Sad grandma
Dear Grandma,
You should have respected your daughter-in-law’s wishes, however unreasonable they may have seemed to you. You could have waited a day or two to see your new grandchild.
Your son and his wife are the child’s parents and they get to make the rules regarding their children. Apologise profusely and, if you want to remain in contact with them, abide by their rules.
Dear Queenie,
Our mother had a room filled with keepsakes from our childhood that she was saving for my sister and me. Soon after she died our father emptied out the room and just threw everything away. Now all our memories are gone.
Queenie, how could he be so mean?—Devastated daughter
Dear Daughter,
My answer depends on several factors: Did your father know you wanted to keep these things? And, were you and your sister ready to remove them from his home?
Your father may have wanted to get rid of painful reminders of the loss of his beloved wife. Or, he may have always been annoyed by what he considered her hoarding of useless junk and just wanted to clean house. Either way, if your father did not know you wanted all these things or if he knew, but wanted to get rid of them and you were not ready to take them out of his home, you could not expect him to keep them for you indefinitely.
