Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 19): Boredom lacks the fiery passion of other emotions, but it’s just as important as many of those super-charged feelings. You won’t find your peak creativity, originality or unique genius without tolerating some degree of boredom. Taurus (April 20-May 20): You lived your story; you earned it! That doesn’t mean that you want to tell it to everyone. In fact, you’ll be effectively choosey in this regard, waiting for the right audience and the moments of maximum impact. Gemini (May 21-June 21): Those who have earned big-time results are the only ones who can afford to talk a big talk — though, usually, because experience has taught them the precariousness of success and the value of modesty, they choose not to. Cancer (June 22-July 22): Love the mess. Frame it as you would the artwork of a beloved young child. In many ways, you are the parent and the child all in one, and you’re in need of a little praise and enthusiasm for the early attempts. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): You may feel like you’re being put on the spot today. If so, consider moving “the spot” off to the side a bit. The sideshow will attract a crowd without having the same pressures and liabilities of the mainstage productions. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The nature of marketing is hype. Since you’re being marketed to during your every waking hour, it only follows to pick up and use language of hype in your you-to-you communications. Recognize it for the exaggeration it is. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): True to his methodical, consistent nature, the tortoise wins the race. Plodding ever forward is harder than it looks — especially for those who are easily distracted (which is everyone) — but it works. You can do this! Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): Instead of ruminating about what went wrong back there, imagine that it didn’t. Think of yourself as saying and doing it the way you would have liked it to go. This increases your chances of getting it right the next time. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you’re only partway into the situation, it will take energy from the rest of your life and give you back nothing in return. For a proper return you’ll have to ramp up your commitment or get out completely. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If there’s anything you need more of, it’s not money or fun, it’s (SET ITAL)meaning.(END ITAL) When meaningfully engaged you become more yourself and yet somehow simultaneously more everyone else, too, melding with the universal mind. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Comfortable ideas about who you are will keep you interacting in a certain way that may or may not benefit you, let alone keep you interested in yourself. Trade comfort for boldness, routine for adventure, worry for curiosity. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): When you laid down the boundary for your friend, you had a good reason. But the scene has changed and so have the both of you. It’s time for some new rules that better fit this current incarnation of the relationship.

To write to Holiday Mathis, visit www.creators.com/ author/holiday-mathis and click “Contact.” DEAR ABBY » I’ve been dating a wonderful woman for two years. She has a son in high school I’ll call “Jon.” Like many teens I see, he is constantly on his smartphone, his school-required tablet or playing video games on the TV in his bedroom.

On a recent vacation, I decided enough was enough. Jon had headphones on and was watching videos online while we were at a restaurant. His mother was on her cellphone as I sat there wondering how long I’d wait. Jon’s grades have dropped and he doesn’t sleep well. I can see he is so connected to his electronics that he’s disconnected from people.

While I don’t want to seem controlling, I now feel I have a vested interest in the boy. I care about him and see that the constant stimulation is affecting much of his life. I’m not sure he even knows how to make friends.

Should I push for his TV to be taken out of his room? His mother is excellent at setting her own boundaries, but because of her divorce, I think she’s reluctant to set boundaries for him.

— Needs help in Chicago

DEAR NEEDS HELP » If you haven’t discussed your concerns with Jon’s mother, you should, because they are valid. If his grades are suffering and he isn’t getting enough rest, it’s time for her to step up to the plate and start acting like a parent.

When the three of you are having a meal together, the electronics should be put away, and you and your girlfriend should make a point of including her son in the conversation. At his age, he should be informed about and have an opinion regarding current events. As to removing the television/gaming from his bedroom, his mother should warn him in advance that it will happen if his grades don’t improve.

Interacting with others doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Developing these skills takes practice. Learning to make eye contact, carry on a conversation and pick up on social cues are skills people learn in person, not by texting. This is a conversation I have had with more than one mental health expert, and it’s something parents need to remember when interacting with their children.

DEAR ABBY » My husband wants to help in the kitchen with the dishes. Call me stupid to complain, but he is causing me more work, and I don’t know what to do.

This is the second marriage for both of us, and I am trying hard to be a kinder, gentler wife. When my husband washes the dishes, pots and pans, he misses spots, sometimes lots of them. Also, he is impatient and doesn’t want to wait the three minutes it takes for the hot water to get to the kitchen, so he washes in cold water.

I tell him I will take care of the dishes, but then he gets upset with me. How do I handle this without hurting his feelings or his pride?

— Kinder, gentler wife

DEAR K.G.W. » Sometimes it’s not what we say but how we say it that can hurt someone’s feelings or pride. Tell your husband that you love him and know he wants to do this for you, but, respectfully, his “talents” lie elsewhere. Because he is willing to help, entrust him to the important task of doing the rinsing and/or drying.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.