Dear Queenie,
My girlfriend takes a lot of supplements that she takes all the time and medicines that she takes when she doesn’t feel well. She bought all these things at the drugstore and over the Internet without a prescription so she thinks they are safe, but I worry that they might not be so safe if they are taken together.
Queenie, what do you think?—Concerned boyfriend
Dear Boyfriend,
I think you are right to be concerned, especially if your girlfriend has any chronic medical condition. She should let her doctor know what products she is taking and follow whatever advice the doctor gives her.
Dear Queenie,
My daughter and her husband are very strict with their oldest son. They scold him and punish him for a lot of little things. They do not treat the younger children this way.
We are worried that as he gets older he will fight back or get into habits that could be very bad for him. We tried to talk to his parents about all this, but they just told us to mind our own business.
Queenie, is there anything else we can do?—Worried grandparents
Dear Grandparents,
You can arrange to have the boy stay with you as much as possible, to give him and his parents a break from each other and while he is with you to set for him an example of good parenting. Let him know he can come to you whenever he needs to talk to someone, and suggest that he also might want to speak to his school counsellor.
Dear Queenie,
My husband has been away on business for a long time because of all the travel restrictions with the COVID-19 pandemic. I don’t have any reason to think he has cheated on me but it’s been a long time for him to go without sex.
Queenie, should I ask him to get tested for STDs when he gets home?—Worried wife
Dear Wife,
There is no need to make an issue of this with your husband. Ask your husband to go to the family doctor for a check-up as soon as he gets home, and when you make the appointment alert the doctor to include a test for STDs.
Dear Queenie,
My grandparents always send me a card with a check for my birthday and for Christmas. I have a good job and I earn a lot more than my grandparents get for their pensions, so I don’t need the money and I expect they could use it better for themselves, so I never actually cash the checks.
Queenie, should I tell them a card is enough and not to bother sending the checks?—Grateful grandson
Dear Grandson,
It is obvious to your grandparents when they get their bank statements that you have not cashed the checks. You can tell them you no longer need the money, or you can thank them for the gift and tell them you will donate the money to a charity you know they will approve of.
Dear Queenie,
My husband has a relationship with a woman he works with. She wrote him letters about how much she missed him when we went away on vacation and couldn’t wait to see him again.
My husband says he enjoys their conversations and he admits that he has kissed her a couple of times, but he says it’s not cheating because they never had sex.
Queenie, I say this is an affair even if they don’t have sex. My husband says it’s not cheating if there is no sex. What do you say?—Angry wife
Dear Wife,
An emotional affair can be just as damaging to a marriage as a physical one. Even if he has not had sex with this other woman, your husband has not been faithful to you.
