Dear Queenie,
I was not raised in a religious home but since the COVID-19 pandemic I have become more interested in religion. I have studied it and consulted with a pastor and when I get married and have children I want to raise them in a religious home.
However, when I try to talk to my fiancé about all this he just nods and agrees with whatever I say and changes the subject.
Queenie, how can I be sure he will help me raise our children in a religious home?—Recent convert
Dear Convert,
Your fiancé is behaving as though he thinks you are just going through a phase. If he had any real interest in your religion he would try to learn more about it. He may allow you to raise your children to be as religious as you are, but he is not likely to help.
The only way you can be sure of having a sufficiently religious home in which to raise your children is to marry a man who feels the same way about it as you do.
Dear Queenie,
I have always loved to read and I have kept every book I have ever read. One room in my house is my library and by now it is full of books. I could do other things with this room if it wasn’t full of books, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of them.
Queenie, what should I do?—Bibliophile
Dear Bibliophile,
Sort through your books and only keep the ones you think you will want to read again. If that does not leave you with enough space to do what you want with your “library”, consider disposing of the “read-overs” as well and planning to read them again on an e-reader.
Dear Queenie,
If someone gets sick at a party and the host or one of the other guests is a doctor, is it okay for that doctor to tend to the sick person?—Medical Etty Ket
Dear Etty Ket,
If the illness is life-threatening, like a stroke or a heart attack, someone should call 911 and until help arrives the doctor-guest can try to help the victim.
However, in case of a minor matter, the victim should try to call their own doctor, who will be familiar with their medical history. Of course, if the doctor present is the victim’s own doctor, the question does not arise.
Dear Queenie,
I went back to school after my children were all grown up and out on their own and I got a degree in a field that always interested me and that I can get a good job in. I posed for photos with the rest of my graduating class and bought a class ring but my best friend says I’m too old for that kind of foolishness.
Queenie, is she right?—Middle-aged graduate
Dear Graduate,
An accomplishment like yours should be celebrated in any (non-destructive) way that makes you happy. Your best friend should be congratulating you, not trying to make you feel foolish.
And you have my congratulations, for what they are worth to you.
Dear Queenie,
Whenever my husband goes shopping with me he winks and smiles at all the pretty women. He tries to claim he doesn’t do it, unless I say something to him when he is actually doing it.
Queenie, I find this is disrespectful to me as well as these other women. What do you say?—Offended wife
Dear Wife,
Your husband may think this is a way of being friendly, or he may be trying to prove to himself that he is still attractive to women. As long as it goes no further than a smile and a wink, and as long as those women are not offended by his attention, I say it is not worth getting upset about.
