Dear Queenie,

One of my children has a lot of problems and my husband is away on his job a lot of the time so he cannot help me with her. I have asked him to try to be home more of the time, but his job won’t let it happen and he says he can’t find another job that would let him be more at home and still pay as well as this one.

We don’t have family here and we don’t have a lot of friends because of our child’s problems and I know we need my husband’s income, but we also need him here at home.

Queenie, what can I do?—Stressed-out wife

Dear Wife,

Is it possible for you to move closer to your family? If not, perhaps there is a support group in your community that could help. Your doctor and/or your daughter’s doctor probably could help you find the help you both need.

Dear Queenie,

I got tired of all the work I had to do serving food and cleaning up after the meal when I hosted a lot of people over the holidays. Often I think my guests would be willing to help but haven’t any idea what to do and I don’t have the time or energy to tell them.

Queenie, what do you suggest?—Worn-out hostess

Dear Hostess,

Another worn-out hostess I know wrote various tasks on slips of paper and gave a slip to each guest when they arrived. It worked for her and then she was not so worn-out.

Dear Queenie,

A couple of years ago my wife got converted and started going to church every Sunday and holiday. I am not an atheist, but I’m not a religious person and I don’t go to church, and my wife knew this since before we got married, but she wants me to go with her.

I did go a couple of times, but I didn’t agree with what was preached in the sermon so I didn’t go again, but my wife still wants me to go to church with her.

Queenie, what do you think I should do?—Not a Church-Goer

Dear Not a Church-Goer,

Tell your wife you do not agree with the sermons and feel uncomfortable in church. You could go with her on big holidays and try to ignore what you do not agree with, but most of the time she should let you have some alone-time on Sundays while she is in church.

Dear Queenie,

In a small restaurant I go to, I noticed a sign that said not to bring in food from another place to eat it there.

Queenie, why do people do this? Isn’t this cheating the owners of the place where they eat?—Restaurant Etty Ket

Dear Etty Ket,

Unless the person also purchases food or drink at the place where they eat, yes, it is an imposition on the proprietors of that place, who have to pay for things they use, like napkins, and for cleaning up after them.

As for why they do this, I have no idea, unless it is because the place where they obtained the food has no facilities for them to eat it there. I would suggest that they purchase their food at places where they can also eat it, or take it home to eat.