Stepmom wants family taxi service ended
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married 2 1/2 years. I have a son, and he has three daughters. My son is married with two children. He is pretty self-sufficient. Two of my husband’s daughters live in the same city we do. They are 26 and 28. They don’t have cars or driver’s licenses.
They often ask us for transportation. While I don’t mind doing it once in a while, we are not a taxi service. Occasionally, they’ll offer gas money. But every time the car is driven down the street, there is wear and tear. The girls don’t step up when it’s time to pay repair bills.
This is a constant argument between my husband and me. I love my stepdaughters, but they are old enough to be more self-sufficient. Advice, please. — Desperate in Reno, Nev.
DEAR DESPERATE: The solution lies in helping them become independent. This is what you should discuss with their father. There is a public transportation system in your community, and they should be familiar with it. If for some reason that’s not workable, perhaps their father could help them pay for driving lessons and/or a down payment on a used vehicle of their own.
DEAR ABBY: My fiance told me an old friend of mine has kissed him goodbye on the lips twice . He said the last time she did it, it made him feel uncomfortable.
I have never seen her do this to anyone else, and I was angry when he told me. I am the godmother of her child, and I feel awkward around her now. Should I let her come to me or tell her it has been brought to my attention? — In a Weird Spot in California
DEAR WEIRD SPOT: Ideally, your fiance should ask her to stop kissing him on the mouth. If he’s not up to doing that, tell your old friend your fiance mentioned that she kissed him on the mouth and it made him uncomfortable. Then tell her it made YOU uncomfortable, so please don’t do it again.
DEAR ABBY: I was eating a Greek salad the other night, and I started to wonder about the polite way to eat olives with pits. I typically put the whole thing in my mouth, eat the flesh, then pull the pit out with my fingers. I started wondering if it was rude to reach into my mouth and spit things out in a restaurant. What is the polite way to eat an olive in public? — It’s the Pits in New York
DEAR PITS: According to etiquette experts the
Post family, you have done nothing wrong. The key to disposing of an olive pit is to do it discreetly. (Shield the maneuver with your napkin to avoid offending your companions.)
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.