Dear Queenie,
I’m not married, have a good job and a lot of friends, but my friends are all married and have children and it seems like all they talk about is their kids and they don’t seem interested in hearing anything about me that doesn’t have to do with children and I don’t have any children to talk about.
Queenie, what do you think about this?—Fed-up Friend
Dear Friend,
You are at a different stage of life than your friends and have different things to think about and talk about. Try to be patient with them and take an interest in what is going on in their lives, and then try to steer the conversations into what is going on in your life.
Dear Queenie,
I asked my girlfriend to marry me and picked out a nice engagement ring, but she didn’t like the style and showed me a picture of one she liked better.
Queenie, I’m the one who did the asking and paid for the ring. Shouldn’t I be the one to choose the style? We can choose the wedding rings together. And if she changes her mind about marrying me, does she still get to keep the ring?—Husband-to-be, I hope
Dear I hope,
Your fiancee (I hope) is the one who will be wearing the ring, so the smart thing to do is give her one she likes. And if she changes her mind about marrying you she should not keep the ring.
Dear Queenie,
My father’s girlfriend who lives with him is going to have a baby. They already have 2 kids and they both have a job, so they have asked me to move in with them to take care of the children but I have just started a new job.
Queenie, if I don’t do what he asks, I’m afraid my father will just cut me off. What can I do?—Worried daughter
Dear Daughter,
Tell your father you will babysit now and then, but do not move in with him, his girlfriend and their children. Sometimes enough is too much!
Dear Queenie,
I’m a married man with children in high school, but my marriage is not as good as it used to be and I have been waiting for the kids to be grown up before I do anything about it.
Recently I met up with the woman who was my first girlfriend when I was in high school and she says her marriaage is not so good anymore too and, like me, she is just waiting for the kids to be grown up and out on their own, and we have been seeing each other.
Queenie, do you think we have a chance of making a good life together?—Can’t decide
Dear Can’t decide,
I think you both should stop cheating on your spouses and concentrate on either making your marriages work or honestly breaking them up. Get professional counselling to help you decide whether you want preserve your marriage and, if so, how to do it, or would rather break up your marriage honestly and, if so, how to go about it.
Dear Queenie,
I’ve always been fat. I’ve tried to lose weight, but even when I managed to lose a few pounds it always came back pretty soon. I can’t afford weight-loss surgery and a friend has offered to help pay for it, but I know others will find out and make comments about it.
Queenie, what should I say when that happens?—Grateful friend
Dear Grateful friend,
If your and your helpful friend do not talk about it, perhaps no one will ever find out. However, if that does happen, just tell them you intend to repay your friend as soon as you can.
