Where relative goes, bugs follow

DEAR ABBY ❯❯ One of my family members is a loner. I'm the closest relative to them. They invite my children and me over for holiday dinners, but the house is dirty with roaches galore. The bugs even crawl on you during the day on the couch. I don't want to go there for this reason.

I'm also cautious about inviting them to visit here because I once asked them to housesit for me for four days, and I came home to roaches in my house. How do I break it to them gently that the sanitary conditions are troubling, and I don't want to be in their home nor have them in mine?

— Bugged in the Midatlantic

DEAR BUGGED ❯❯ You need to inform this relative that they have a serious insect problem. Roaches carry bacteria, funguses and molds, and also spread disease. Fortunately, with the help of a professional exterminator, an infestation can be handled — but not unless the problem is recognized and addressed.

If your relative is unaware that they caused an infestation in your home when they were housesitting, they should be told. And while you're at it, recommend the name of the company you used to remedy the problem. You don't have to say you don't want to visit them or have them over, all you need to do is refuse their invitations and refrain from extending one.

DEAR ABBY ❯❯ I just turned 22 and I have no idea what I'm doing! I want to go back to school, but school was so hard for me growing up, and I really don't want to go through it all again. The only reason I didn't quit was because of my mom, but, like I said, I'm 22 now, and I can't depend on her forever. I feel like I should have accomplished a lot more by the time I got to this age, but I haven't. What should I do to get my life on the track I want?

— No Clue in the West

DEAR NO CLUE ❯❯ You are no longer the unwilling student you were when you were younger. Now you are an adult, and you may find you are more motivated to acquire the knowledge you need to succeed and are better able to concentrate.

A way to find what you may be best suited for would be to contact the career counseling department of your local college or university and inquire about taking aptitude tests. It isn't free, but it's worthwhile because it may point you in a direction you hadn't considered before. There is also the option of a vocational school, because, as you already know, people develop at their own pace.