Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 19): When you want a comparison, you tend to compare yourself with yourself, which is a much better habit than using anyone else as a benchmark. The trouble is, even for you, you’re a hard act to follow. Taurus (April 20-May 20): You’re mentally versatile and will use your mind as you would any number of tools. Your mind can be a calculator, a map, a sleuth, a translator, a puzzle solver, a flashlight — and a sleeping pill if need be. Gemini (May 21-June 21): Here’s an idea that might seem radical: What if your actions best represented your own needs, feelings and values instead of those of your loved one? Bring your attention back to yourself and an internal locus of control. Cancer (June 22-July 22): Good fortune starts with how you treat people, which, it turns out, is also the beginning and end result. How you treat people is the whole story! For you it’s not always about serving and pleasing, but it always about respecting. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): The impulse to do something sneaky is not just about the thrill of your quickening pulse or the adrenaline rush that comes with the risk of being caught. The impulse is also a sign of needs unmet in the current situation. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): People say that it’s not about the cards you’re dealt — that it’s how you play them that matters. Of course that’s silly. Good cards win, and playing bad ones requires bluffing. Today’s game will be tricky. You’ll prevail. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Life can be strange and complicated, especially when love’s involved. The romantic shades of love bring out the most extreme examples of this, which may cause you to wonder whether that kind of love is worth the trouble. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): You’ll be zipping along today, moving in spite of your restraints or maybe even because of them. The limits do have a way of focusing your power in one direction. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In the past you felt it best to concede your power to another. It made the situation easier, and at that moment it seemed like the right thing to do. That moment is passed. It is now time to take your power back. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Much activity will center on possessions. You’ll treat possessions as living things, with respect for their purpose, attention to their maintenance and storage that honors their aesthetic value. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Before you leave the house, get centered on what you want. This will prevent you from needless wandering. See, you’ll be lucky today. Hearts and doors will open to you. With so few borders, the limits must come from within. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): This will be a sociable day in which your relationships run harmoniously. If there’s the least bit of tension it will serve as a spicy touch for the ultimate enhancement of the tie.

To write to Holiday Mathis, visit www.creators.com/ author/holiday-mathis and click “Contact.” DEAR ABBY » My 22-year-old son is going to visit his father and get his third tattoo. I don’t like it, but I can’t control my son. He’s an adult. His father is retired and lives on his wife’s pension. It is my understanding that they are wealthy.

My concern is for our 14-year-old daughter. My ex thinks tattoos are cool, and when he talks to her via Skype, he talks about the next tattoo he is going to get. I’m afraid that when she’s 18, he will take her to get a tattoo as a bonding experience.

His life is far removed from my daughter’s. He is surrounded by actors, entertainers and artists. Our child (hopefully) will have a rich, abundant life in an ordinary way. She is focused on her studies and does well in school because of her efforts. How can I impress upon my notso-confident, shy child that getting a tattoo is not a good idea? — Mary in Missouri

DEAR MARY » Discouraging your daughter from getting a tattoo should be part of an ongoing conversation. Explain that — unlike makeup or temporary tats — the real thing is permanent. Once it’s on, there is no going back. It will be there for the rest of her life unless she has it professionally removed. Point out that tattoo removal is not only expensive, but also painful, and her skin will not look the way it did before she got inked — she will be scarred.

Hopefully, it may make her less susceptible to “bonding” with her father in that way. Ultimately, however, when she’s 18 and an adult, she will make her own decision about getting tattooed or remaining ink-free.

DEAR ABBY » My brother and sister-in-law have four children, ages 11, 10, 4 and 3. They are financially strapped and can’t afford to take the children to entertainment or cultural events because every dime is spent for essentials.

I’m financially stable and childless. I take the older children to various activities once every month or so. I don’t include the younger ones because they are unruly. I feel somewhat guilty for not including them. However, I want to continue doing it for the older children so they’ll be exposed to various events they couldn’t see otherwise.

Am I wrong for not wanting to be responsible for the younger children, or should I stop taking any of them out to be fair? — Trying my best in the South

DEAR TRYING » Explain to the parents, if you haven’t already, that you would love to include the younger children, but that you are unable to because of their unruly behavior, which you are unable to control. What you’re doing is not “unfair”; it is wise. If you were to take all four and not be able to control them, one of the little ones could be seriously injured.

Think of some other way you can make the younger children feel special. Perhaps taking them to a park occasionally would make them feel less left out.

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.

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