DEAR ABBY: One co-worker in our workplace of six likes to bake. She’s really fantastic at it and brings a baked merchandise for our birthdays.
Sadly, she has fairly just a few plug-in air fresheners in her kitchen, so each merchandise she brings in to share is saturated with fragrance.
Nobody needs to say something as a result of she is extraordinarily delicate and can be crushed. Is there a solution to put it gently?
— TASTING IT IN WASHINGTON
DEAR TASTING: If the oil from her air fresheners is transferring to the treats your co-worker brings, somebody must discreetly take her apart and communicate up.
A solution to phrase it will be: “You are always so generous in bringing birthday goodies for everyone, and we really appreciate it. But the last time we tried your fabulous chocolate cake we noticed the scent of Jungle Gardenia (or Alpine Pine, etc.). Do you think it might have come from your plug-in air freshener? It would be a shame if the fragrances affected the quality of your wonderful baked goods. Unplugging the air freshener during the baking and cooling would probably do the trick.”
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I lastly acquired custody of his daughter “Amelia” 15 days earlier than her sixteenth birthday.
She got here to us with home-schooling and little socialization. Now she’s 18, and we’ve gotten her on monitor to graduate, however she has utterly modified. She plans to maneuver in along with her boyfriend and is skipping college.
My husband feels we are able to’t get on her case about it, since we’ve had her for under two years.
We’ve had three boys who graduated, and two ladies who haven’t but. We made the boys (his stepsons) go to highschool on daily basis and dwell at house till they graduated. We are going to do the identical with our youthful ladies.
Abby, why is he scared for me to inform Amelia that she will be able to’t transfer out till after commencement, particularly not along with her boyfriend, or get on her about lacking college on a regular basis?
— STERN STEPMOM IN KANSAS
DEAR STEPMOM: Your husband might concern that Amelia is just too headstrong to be reasoned with and fear that if he asserts himself, his daughter will grow to be estranged.
You described your self as “Stern Stepmom.” If the best way you exhibit that’s by insisting your husband’s kids graduate with a primary schooling, I don’t contemplate it heavy-handed. Nevertheless, if there’s extra to it, Amelia could also be transferring out to get away from you.
Maybe a special strategy is perhaps more practical.
Amelia is sufficiently old to be talked with “woman to woman.” For those who can impress upon her that you simply and her father care solely about her welfare, that the choices she is making now will have an effect on her complete future, maybe she can be extra open to listening to your message.
The truth that she’s transferring out is much less necessary than failing to finish her schooling and get that prime college diploma. Let that be your focus while you and her dad communicate to her.
Expensive Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, often known as Jeanne Phillips, and was based by her mom, Pauline Phillips. Contact Expensive Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Field 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
