Spendthrift kids not inheriting everything
Dear Abby:
We have an adult son and daughter who can’t handle money and can’t keep a job. Should we tell them they are not going to inherit everything when my wife and I are gone?
We have bailed them out of trouble more than once, but they don’t seem to learn. They are in their 30s and 40s, and neither one is looking for a job. Anything we left them would soon be squandered, and there are many organizations that could put the money to good use. We would leave them something, but nothing like what they expect. So: Tell them or not? Perplexed in the South
Dear Perplexed:
In the back of my mind is echoing the Boy Scout motto, “Be prepared.” You should definitely tell your “children” now, while there’s still time for them to get off their posteriors and start preparing for their financial futures.
Dear Abby:
I’m a gay teen who wants to come out and possibly be in a relationship. Many students at school have come out recently, and everyone seems to be embracing our sexual diversity. However, I suspect that many of the kids who have come out may have done it to seem “cool” and be popular. I’m not trying to denounce them for who they believe they are, but it seems to be the hot thing at the moment to be bisexual or gay because so many mainstream celebrities have come out of the closet.
Because of this, many gay students are being bullied by kids who say they’re only doing it for attention and popularity. I don’t want to be subjected to the same bullying they are when I really am attracted to the same sex. Closeted in Pennsylvania
Dear Closeted:
If you don’t find it safe to come out, my advice is to wait. I find it interesting that your student body is open to accepting gay and bisexual peers but would accuse some of them of being “secretly straight.” What a switch!
According to sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, sexuality can be measured from zero (exclusively straight) to six (exclusively gay), and everyone is on it somewhere. It’s not for others to declare where anyone else belongs.