Daughter clashes with dad over his teenage girlfriend
DEAR ABBY: I’m really uncomfortable about my father’s new relationship. He is 50 and dating a girl who is 19 — only two years older than I am. She went to my high school.
I think their age difference is disgusting. He knows how I feel about it, and he doesn’t care. We fought, and I told him I wouldn’t talk to him anymore. I would rather live with my mom full time than spend half my time at his house. I haven’t seen or spoken to him in more than a month, and I am hurt that he would choose his girlfriend over me. My father and I were never super close, but we had a decent relationship. I looked up to him. Without him in my life I feel like something is missing. I have tried to get over how I feel and force myself to accept the situation regardless of how uncomfortable it makes me feel, but I just can’t! I have lost respect for him. I feel like he is a pervert.
How can I take his parental advice seriously or listen when he tries to discipline me when he is dating someone my age? It makes me wonder if he treats his girlfriend like his daughter and tries to parent her, too — which is just creepy. What can I do to feel better? —
HATES DAD’S TEEN ROMANCE
DEAR HATES: I would love to know how that girl’s parents feel about this love match. Your father may be flattered that someone so young would have a romantic interest in him. Being with her may make him forget that he’s 31 years older — past middle age — and think he’s a cool young dude again.
When there is that great an age difference, the older person is usually the one calling the shots, and the balance of power in the relationship is unequal. If your father is parenting her, it may be because she needs a “daddy” and it makes him feel important.
You’ll start feeling better as soon as you accept that you can’t control what your father does and realize that his relationship with your contemporary may not last. In the meantime, focus on your studies.
DEAR ABBY: The world seems bleak to many of us who are self-quarantined. I ordered quarts of ice cream from a local ice cream company, picked them up at the store with coolers and ice packs in my car and delivered them to the front doors of several friends. As I was driving away, I called and told them to check their porch. They were all surprised and pleased to have a little pick-me-up for their day.
Last night, one of these friends dropped off cinnamon rolls. She knocked and left. She wanted them to be at our house for breakfast today. Neither of these were big, expensive items, but they brought a smile when there isn’t much to smile about these days. — PAY IT
FORWARD IN THE SOUTH
DEAR PAY IT: Comfort food comes in many forms — ice cream, baked goods of every variety, chocolate. And it’s all the more tasty when shared among friends as you have described. All of these quick fixes work, at least for a little while. I am now trying to repent from my torrid affair with pralines ‘n’ cream ice cream.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Cam Akers rushed for 171 yards in a breakout performance, Kenny Young returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown and the Los Angeles Rams clinched their fourth straight winning season with a 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
Jared Goff rushed for a touchdown and threw a TD pass to Cooper Kupp as the Rams (9-4) rolled to a one-sided victory in a rematch of their 13-3 Super Bowl loss in February 2019.
Cam Newton passed for 119 yards before getting replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter of another dismal offensive game for New England (6-7). Five days after the Patriots scored 45 points at Sofi Stadium against the Chargers, New England endangered its push for a 12th straight playoff berth with only its second loss in six games.
The Rams got a superb game from Akers, the second-round draft pick out of Florida State who has seized a major role in their offense over the last three weeks. Akers’ yards mostly came in big chunks during the biggest rushing game by an NFL rookie this season and just the ninth 150-yard game against a Bill Belichick-coached defense since 2000.
Aaron Donald had 1 1/2 sacks to move into the overall NFL lead with 12 1/2 this season while leading another strong game from Los Angeles’ elite defense, which held New England to 62 yards in the second half, recorded six sacks and also scored a touchdown in its third consecutive game.
New England again struggled to move the ball through the air, and Newton threw his first picksix of the season to Young, who also had a sack. Newton was 9 of 16 when Belichick replaced him early in the fourth quarter with Stidham, who went 5 of 7 on three ineffective series.
The Patriots have been held without an offensive touchdown in multiple games this season for the first time since 2003.
Despite their strong play in recent weeks, the Patriots have seven losses for the first time since 2002, officially ending their Nfl-record streak of 17 straight seasons with at least 10 victories.
The Rams will have four consecutive winning records under Mcvay, something the franchise hadn’t done since 1983-86 with Eric Dickerson and coach John Robinson. Los Angeles still hasn’t clinched Mcvay’s third playoff spot, but his team will sit atop the NFC West with three games to play.
Los Angeles also improved to 33-0 with a halftime lead under Mcvay.
The Rams’ opening 75-yard TD drive at Sofi Stadium looked better than anything it did in the Super Bowl. Tyler Higbee and Akers had long gains before Goff leaned over the line on fourth-and-goal for his careerhigh fourth rushing touchdown of the season.