Dear Queenie,
We have a relative who is on the outs with one member of our family. We can’t decide whether or not to invite this person to family events for fear they will make problems and offend other members of the family, but we don’t want to offend this person’s parents and brothers and sisters by leaving this one out.
Queenie, what do you think?—Reluctant hosts
Dear Reluctant hosts,
Have a talk with this person’s parents and siblings, explain the problem and ask them if they think this person will behave properly. If they are not sure about it, tell them you will leave this one person out rather than risk having him (or her) cause a scene and offend your other guests.
Dear Queenie,
I used to hang out at a bar and meet up with friends or meet new people and make new friends, but these days with all the COVID restrictions it’s not so easy or so much fun to do that.
Queenie, how can I have a social life the way things are now?—Feeling lonesome
Dear Feeling lonesome,
You do not need to go to a bar – you do not even have to go out of your house – to meet new people who might become friends. Nowadays such things can be done online in chat rooms, by email and by cruising Internet dating sites. Just be careful, because there are a lot of scams and other creepy persons who will try to take advantage of you – but that is true in the real (physical) world too.
Dear Queenie,
I was watching a TV show with my boyfriend but he said he didn’t like it and wanted to do something else. I asked him why he didn’t like it but he just wouldn’t talk about it.
We have been together for a couple of years and this is not the first time he has refused to explain something to me when I asked about it.
Queenie, why does he do this?—Confused Girlfriend
Dear Girlfriend,
There might have been something in the TV show that reminded your boyfriend of something in his past that he would prefer to forget, or he may just have been bored by it and did not care that you were enjoying it.
Your boyfriend seems to be not very good at talking about how he feels about things, and he is not likely to change just because you want him to.
Dear Queenie,
When my mother died I inherited some jewelery from her.
Queenie, is it okay or me to wear it around relatives on her side of the family who are still in mourning?—Young heiress
Dear Heiress,
You can wear the jewellery on appropriate occasions and if anyone recognises it and comments about your wearing it, just tell them wearing it makes you feel closer to your mother even though she is gone.
Dear Queenie,
A long-time friend of mine has started using pot and it has changed her a lot. Although her marriage is still good and she is still as good at her job and she still takes good care of her pets, she just isn’t as smart as she used to be.
Queenie, should I say something to her about it?—Worried friend
Dear Friend,
People do change as they grow older, and in your friend’s case marijuana may have nothing to do with it. You could mention the change to her and see how she reacts. You could also mention it to her husband in case the change might be due to medical issues and she might need to see her doctor.
