Dear Queenie,

  My son and his wife got divorced because he had an affair and now she tells all sorts of lies about him – that he abused her and that he still abuses their children who are in her custody and that he has threatened to hurt her, etc, etc.

  She even called the police for him and he had to go to court to defend himself. He was found innocent, but the lawyers are costing us a lot.

  Queenie, is there anything we can do to protect him?—Worried father

Dear Father,

  While you are paying the lawyers for defending him in court you can ask them that question. My guess is that you can take the ex-wife to court for harassment and possibly make her pay some of your son’s court costs. Your lawyers can advise you about your options.

  Your son can also look for a divorce support group (probably online these days) and get professional counselling to help him deal with all the stress.

Dear Queenie,

  A guy I used to know at school had a crush on me and told me a lot of personal stuff about himself and his problems. I tried to help him but it was more than I could handle and I told him to see the school counsellor and talk to his parents, and I stopped being friendly with him.

  Now we are going to the same university and he is trying to start up with me all over again. I don’t want to hurt him, but I’m just not interested.

  Queenie, what to do?—Sorry for him

Dear Sorry,

  Tell him you what you have told me – that you just cannot handle his problems, and advise him, as before, to see a counsellor. You could also suggest that he join a club and/or other activity where he can meet some new people.

Dear Queenie,

  My son’s wife doesn’t take proper care of their new baby. She will leave the baby on a table while she goes to get a clean diaper, she doesn’t feed the baby according to schedule and she doesn’t dress the baby in warm clothes when it is cold weather or cooler clothes when it is hot weather. My son helps out when he is at home, but he has a full-time job.

  Queenie, is there anything I can do without insulting my daughter-in-law?—Worried grandmother

Dear Grandmother,

  Have you told your son about the things that worry you? If not, you should do so right away.

  Perhaps your daughter-in-law would benefit from some classes in parenting. Also, perhaps it could be arranged for the baby to be in day-care when your son is not available to supervise (I am assuming he is a capable father!).

Dear Queenie,

  A friend of mine has been writing back and forth by email to a man in Africa. He keeps telling her he will come to visit her, but he needs money for the ticket. Then he tells her he has to put the trip off for a while and it will cost him more money to change his ticket.

  Queenie, how do I tell her this is all just a scam?—Worried friend

Dear Friend,

  This is an old, old scam but obviously there are still some people who fall for it. Try to explain to your friend that it is a scam and she should report it to the appropriate authorities. However, if she does not believe you she will just have to learn the hard way.