Dear Queenie,
My wife’s sisters are tremendously overweight, and I mean tremendous! That’s not a problem, but what is is that they stink. They have such terrible body odour that when they visit us it sticks to the furniture and hangs in the air even after they have left, not to mention how their own house smells.
Queenie, should we tell them about their problem? And what’s the best way to get rid of the stench?—Suffocated
Dear Suffocated,
Your sisters-in-law may have a medical problem that causes their body odour. Your wife should suggest to them that they talk to their doctor about it.
Meanwhile, cover your furniture with plastic, at least when they are going to visit you. And the next time there is a gift-giving occasion, fancy bath kits might be in order.
Dear Queenie,
One of my friends just laughs when someone else bumps into something or trips and falls down. I think this is terribly rude. He says it’s to spare them embarrassment.
Queenie, who is right?—Good manners
Dear Good manners,
You are! There is nothing amusing about someone else’s mishap, even if they are not seriously injured. And it is only appropriate to be concerned about whether they are hurt. Your friend is either terribly immature or totally lacking in empathy.
You might ask him how he would feel if he fell and sprained an ankle or even broke a leg and you just stood there and laughed about it. And would he not be insulted to be laughed at?
Dear Queenie,
My parents just love my boyfriend. What bothers me is that they seem to love him more than me. Whenever I have some small problem with him and I ask for their advice, or just want a shoulder to cry on, they end up defending him.
Queenie, is something wrong here or am I just being too sensitive?—Feeling slighted
Dear Slighted,
This is just the opposite of the usual problem I am asked about.
I suspect that your parents are so happy you have found someone they like and approve of that they tend to overreact when you have a problem with him. Try to cut them some slack.
Dear Queenie,
My husband is very sweet about helping around the house, like doing dishes, but he does a lousy job of it – he washes them by hand instead of in the dishwasher, doesn’t use soap and hot water and just doesn’t get the dishes clean, so I end up having to wash them over again.
Queenie, I don’t want to insult him. Should I just give up and tell him to let me do the dishes or should I show him how dirty they still are and ask him to do better?—Not-so-spoiled wife
Dear Wife,
Could it be that your husband’s eyesight is not so good and he just cannot see what a poor job he is doing? Or would he notice it if you served him a meal on dishes he alone had washed?
If he cannot see the left-on food, etc., point it out to him. Also you should insist that he at least use hot water and detergent or better yet the dishwasher – not doing so is incredibly unsanitary. If he refuses to cooperate, take over the dishwashing yourself and ask him to do some other chore for you – like drying the dishes, or unloading the dishwasher, and putting the things away.
Dear Queenie,
My boyfriend and I have been dating for a while now, but I have a friend that each time we get together along with him it’s like he forgets I’m there. He calls her “babes,” “baby” and all kind of things, but me he calls me by my first name when we are around her.
Queenie, is that bad or am I just exaggerating?—Stressed
Dear Stressed,
Do you suspect that there is something going on between them? If that were the case I think he would be more careful in your presence.
Possibly he just cannot manage to remember your friend’s name, in which case you should be flattered (I suppose) that he manages to remember yours.
