Dear Queenie,
My daughter often stays out very late on dates or get-togethers with friends. I have tried to make a rule that she is home by a certain time, but sometimes I fall asleep before that time and then I don’t know whether she got home in good time.
Queenie, can you help me?—Worried mother
Dear Mother,
Set an alarm clock for the time your daughter is supposed to get home and turn it off when she comes home (do not use an electric clock for this, in case the electricity goes off).
If you fall asleep and the alarm clock goes off, it will wake you up and you will know that your daughter has missed her curfew. On the other hand, if she gets home before the alarm clock goes off she can turn it off and let you sleep, and when you wake up you will know that she came home in good time.
Dear Queenie,
I have been divorced for several years and I am living in the same house as when we were married. My ex-husband moved out when the divorce became final, but he still gets his mail here and comes into the house and goes through cabinets and the fridge. He says he comes to see our children, who are in my custody, but what he mostly does is watch TV.
Queenie, how can I stop him from doing this?—Fed-up ex-wife
Dear Ex-wife,
Tell your ex-husband to give the Post Office his new address and when his mail comes to your house, mark it “not at this address” and return it to the Post Office.
Also tell your ex – and your children – that you do not want him in your house when you are not there and, if he does not abide by your wishes, change the locks. If necessary, sell your house (if you own it) and find a new place to live.
Dear Queenie,
I have always lived with my parents, but now I have been offered a great job far away from where they live and I am planning to go. The problem is, my parents are against my moving so far away and are trying to persuade me not to take that job.
I keep telling them I will keep in touch with them and come back to visit them as often as I can and they will be welcome to come visit me, but they still keep bugging me.
Queenie, what more can I do?—Under pressure from family
Dear Under pressure,
Your parents will miss you very much when you move away, they think you might meet someone and get married in your new location and they expect this to be a permanent separation. Try to understand how they feel, but do what you think is best for your future.
Dear Queenie,
My son is divorced and his ex-wife was living with the boyfriend she cheated with when she was married, which caused the divorce, when his daughter, who was living with her mother, told him the boyfriend had molested her. My son called the police and they arrested the boyfriend and he got sent to prison.
The ex-wife stayed in touch with her boyfriend while he was in prison and when he got out she married him. She doesn’t believe he ever molested her daughter.
My son now has custody of their daughter and she has no contact with her mother anymore.
Queenie, should we let her see her mother?—Worried grandmother
Dear Grandmother,
If your granddaughter has no contact with her mother because her father will not permit it, yes, you should let her see her mother – but not her stepfather, the man who molested her! However, if the lack of contact is because her mother does not even try to see her daughter, do not even try to do anything about it.
Dear Queenie,
My father died many years ago and my mother died last year. As their oldest child I arranged her funeral and paid for it.
Queenie, I haven’t heard anything from any of my brothers and sisters since the funeral, not to offer to help pay for it or even to thank me for making all the arrangements. Is this right?—Offended sibling
Dear Sibling,
Did your mother leave you something extra in her will? Maybe your brothers and sisters think that was meant to pay for her funeral. Call your siblings, tell them how much the funeral cost and ask them if they can help with the expense. But also be sure to tell them you love them and miss hearing from them.
