Saturday, November 22, 2008 | 8:04 a.m.

Annie's Mailbox® by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar

Home > Lifestyle Columns > Annie's Mailbox®
Please contact your local newspaper editor if you want to read Annie's Mailbox®'s column in your hometown paper.
Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar

Recently

  • Annie's Mailbox®, November 22
    Dear Annie: I am a 47-year-old male, own my own business and work hard. My dad is 77, widowed and semi-mobile. He recently moved out of the busy city to live near me in the suburbs. I encouraged this so we could keep an eye on him. The problem is, …

  • Annie's Mailbox®, November 21
    Dear Annie: What do you do when it is not your teenager's friend who is the bad influence but the friend's mother? "Betty" tells my daughter, "Chloe," that if she wants to go out with someone we disapprove of to tell us she is …

  • Annie's Mailbox®, November 20
    Dear Annie: I am a freshman in college and have been with my boyfriend, a senior in high school, for two years. Before I graduated, we were inseparable. Now that I'm two hours away, it's taking a huge toll on me. I started out liking my college, but …

  • Annie's Mailbox®, November 19
    Dear Annie: My sister and her husband have some habits that really turn me off when I visit. They leave dirty pots and pans on the stove for weeks. They allow used dishes, cups and utensils to pile up in the sink until it is overflowing. They have a …

Annie's Mailbox®, July 9

If you like Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, you might enjoy

Dear Annie: My husband of over 25 years has a large number of friends and acquaintances listed in his e-mail address book with whom he exchanges jokes, news, pictures and, at times, porn. This sometimes includes very explicit videos.

He shares the majority of these e-mails with me, so I know what he's doing. My problem is, he also shares these pornographic videos and pictures with the women in his address book. Some of these women are co-workers and others are friends, a few of whom I have never met.

I feel this is totally inappropriate and definitely crossing a line. I've told him it bothers me, but he continues to send them. He feels sharing such stuff is harmless. I've tried explaining that women see this in a different light. And I feel he's doing it behind my back, which makes me feel even worse. Am I making a big deal out of nothing? — Porn King's Wife

Dear Wife: He's not doing it behind your back if he copies you on everything. However, if your husband is sending porn to female co-workers, he might lose his job because it could be construed as harassment. And you are right that women usually interpret such e-mails as more intimate than intended. And more uncouth. Explain this to your husband and ask him, at the very least, to stop sending porn to female co-workers. Beyond that, there's not much you can do about such juvenile behavior.

Dear Annie: My friends and I are concerned about the well-being of a couple we've known for years. (We are now in our early 60s.) Two years ago, "John and Martha" were involved in an auto accident. John hit the windshield pretty hard and a short time later suffered a heart attack. We then noticed a drastic change in his personality. Out of concern, one of the guys spoke with Martha and was told in no uncertain terms to mind his own business.

Things have gone downhill since. Today, John and Martha have difficulty taking care of themselves.
Last fall, some friends took four hours cleaning out their garage so they could park their cars inside, but the vehicles sat out all winter. Martha is now in failing health and spends her days in bed drunk.

They are estranged from their children, whom we've never met. Their house is a firetrap, with ashtrays overflowing onto the floor. The walkways have newspapers piled up and garbage everywhere. We've seen feces on the walls in the bathroom.

This couple could afford to pay someone to come in and clean, but they are not interested. We don't know where to turn. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. — Concerned Friends

Dear Friends: Call Adult Protective Services and explain the situation. Ask if a social worker can be sent to investigate. Between the car accident, heart attack and drinking, it sounds like your friends need to be evaluated for physical and mental impairment. Bless you for caring.

Dear Annie: Your answer to "Torn Parents in Denver" was not the reliable advice you normally give. Their daughter couldn't get along with their son's girlfriend. You suggested, among other things, to treat one of the couples to a hotel.

To suggest rewarding one and possibly two immature adult children with a romantic weekend instead of expecting them to socialize at an occasional family visit is ludicrous. Just because the siblings can't get along with the boyfriends and girlfriends is no reason for the parents to compensate them for their sibling rivalry and jealousy. — B.E.

Dear B.E.: It's neither reward nor compensation. When adult family members are forced to occupy the same household space for many days' duration, it can fray the best of nerves. Letting one couple have time alone is a way to ease the tension and allow the relationships to be tolerated until they can be accepted.

Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.




AddThis Social Bookmark Button RSS Get RSS Feed for Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Email updates Email me Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar updates Comments Comments
Originally Published on Wednesday July 09, 2008

More Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar
Nov. `08
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
26 27 28 29 30 31 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 1 2 3 4 5 6
View By Month
About the author Print friendly format Write the author Email This Article to a friend
All newspaper editors want to know what their readers like. If you would like to read this feature in your local newspaper, please do not hesitate to share your enthusiasm with your local newspaper editor.

 

Shop Creators Syndicate

 
Saturday, November 22, 2008 | 8:04 a.m.
About Creators | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Editor's login | FAQ | En Español
Copyright © 2006 Creators.com. All Rights Reserved.
Web Development by JJCO