Dear Queenie,
My wife and I used to give parties for all our friends on holidays and other special occasions, but they never entertained us in any way, not even for a backyard barbecue or snacks at a fast food place.
Now that we are older it’s not so easy for us to throw big parties the way we used to and we never see most of those friends anymore and we miss them.
Queenie, have we done something wrong?—Lonely senior citizens
Dear Lonely senior citizens,
As you grew older, so did your friends. It would be just as hard for them to throw a big party as it now is for you, and they may feel ashamed that they cannot entertain you on the same scale as you did them.
Why not invite them over for drinks or snacks, or out to a restaurant or fast food place, just one or two at a time and see how they respond.
You also might consider joining a senior citizens group – you might even find that that is where all your friends have gone.
Dear Queenie,
My wife and I used to give parties for all our friends on holidays and other special occasions, but they never entertained us in any way, not even for a backyard barbecue or snacks at a fast food place.
Now that we are older it’s not so easy for us to throw big parties the way we used to and we never see most of those friends anymore and we miss them.
Queenie, have we done something wrong?—Lonely senior citizens
Dear Lonely senior citizens,
As you grew older, so did your friends. It would be just as hard for them to throw a big party as it now is for you, and they may feel ashamed that they cannot entertain you on the same scale as you did them.
Why not invite them over for drinks or snacks, or out to a restaurant or fast food place, just one or two at a time and see how they respond.
You also might consider joining a senior citizens group – you might even find that that is where all your friends have gone.
Dear Queenie,
I think my girlfriend is being abused. She has lots of bruises that she explains with unbelievable excuses – no one could be that clumsy.
Queenie, how can I help her?—Worried boyfriend
Dear Worried boyfriend,
Is there a guidance counsellor or school nurse you could talk to about this? If not, perhaps you could talk to your parents about it, or your family doctor. This is a situation that adults should deal with, or at least should know where to go for help.
Dear Queenie,
I think my girlfriend is being abused. She has lots of bruises that she explains with unbelievable excuses – no one could be that clumsy.
Queenie, how can I help her?—Worried boyfriend
Dear Worried boyfriend,
Is there a guidance counsellor or school nurse you could talk to about this? If not, perhaps you could talk to your parents about it, or your family doctor. This is a situation that adults should deal with, or at least should know where to go for help.
Dear Queenie,
Recently something very upsetting happened to me at work. When I came home my husband asked me how was my day. I tried to tell him but he was watching sports on TV at the time and kept interrupting me to make comments about the game.
Queenie, why are men so unsympathetic?—Upset and offended
Dear Upset and offended,
As the saying goes (yes, dear readers, another one), "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus."
I understand why you were upset, but give your husband some credit for giving you a part of his attention when something as important (from his point of view) as a sporting event was going on. Probably he was wondering why you were so upset over whatever it was, and thought he was being very sympathetic by giving you any attention at all.
And let me ask you: When his favourite team loses an important (to him) match, do you give him your full attention and sympathy, or is your reaction something along the lines of, "Yes, dear, that's too bad. Now come help me with the dishes"?
