Pushy child a concern for mother
Dear Abby: Because my husband and I work, I take our 6-month-old to a sitter several times a week. I understand little ones tend to be mean sometimes but in this case, it’s a little different.
My sitter cares for her 3-yearold granddaughte r as well as her clients’ c h i l d re n , and her granddaughter pushes the littler ones. I have seen her push a 1-year-old down. I have never observed any of the other children do it, only the granddaughter.
I wouldn’t be so worried if my daughter were 2 and could defend herself, but she’s only 6 months old. What can I do to try to resolve this? — Deeply Concerned In The South
Dear Deeply Concerned: Talk to the sitter about your concerns. Ask if it is possible to keep the older girl separate from the younger ones, however, the only way to be absolutely certain your little one is safe would be to change babysitters.
Dear Abby: I made a friend on Facebook. “Drew” and I texted through Messenger, and I went to ride four-wheelers with him one day. We hit it off great. We started dating, and he moved in with me.
In the beginning, Drew didn’t mention he was working only part time. After he told me he had been moved to part time, I told him he needed to tell his boss he needed full time or a different job. I wrote a comment to that effect on their page, and his boss texted me back saying Drew can work as much as he wants! He also said Drew hasn’t worked full time since he started working there.
Well, Drew got mad at me and left. I still love him. Should I keep wishing we could get back together? — Feeling Lifeless
Dear Feeling Lifeless: No! In a sense, you were taken for a ride, and I’m not talking about four-wheelers.
Dear Abby: I have been remarried for four years to a wonderful man who treats me like a queen. However, he and my 18-year-old daughter dislike each other, which causes a huge amount of stress and conflict. They fight, and I’m stuck in the middle. I don’t know what I can do to resolve this problem. — Desperate For Peace
Dear Desperate: I wish you had mentioned why your husband dislikes your daughter and vice versa. Is he overbearing and trying to parent her? That is YOUR job, not his.
Your daughter is no longer 14. At 18, she is now considered to be an adult, and because the “combatants” are both adults, they should act like it, be civil and refrain from turning their disagreements into open warfare. A better solution would be to get family counseling if your daughter plans to continue to live with you.