Son who needs summer job should search for himself
Jeanne Phillips
Dear Abby: My son, a junior in college, is trying to get a summer job. His degree is challenging, and he has a good work ethic plus job experience. Because he hasn’t had much luck applying online, I have been calling local businesses to see what’s available while he’s working hard at school.
A problem I’m encountering is something I never had to deal with in my own job search. It’s companies asking whether he wants an internship. They say they can’t pay him to train him. What is the basis of this response?
Dear Wants To Know: The basis may be economic. The companies don’t want to spend the money on an intern, particularly one who exhibits such little initiative that his mother has to call to inquire about a job for him. Some internships have been known to lead to permanent positions. Your son may have better luck if he places the calls himself.
Dear Abby: What is proper when hosting guests from out of state? In a few months, two different relatives will be visiting me separately, each for two weeks. For years, it has been my custom to go to church on Sunday and then to brunch with friends. I don’t mind giving up the brunch, but I don’t want to miss church for an entire month.
Neither relative will attend with me even though I invite them. How do I handle this?
Dear C. or N.C.: Having houseguests does not mean you are shackled together the entire time they stay with you. Tell them you will be going to early Sunday services and then to brunch with church members afterward. If you’re worried about feeding your guests, tell them there will be lox, bagels and cream cheese in the fridge when they get up.
Dear Abby: My grandmother would often tell my brother and me that she had a “Yankee dime” for us — which meant a kiss. Not long after her death, I started finding dimes in the strangest places — under birthday gifts, by the Christmas tree and in my kitchen. My heart fills as the dimes pile up!
Dear Suzanne: You are blessed to have had a grandmother who loved you and your brother and showed it every chance she got.