Advice Illustrated: Yeah. Duh.

The orig is HERE.

Letter Writer 1 is a married man who has rented a basement flat in a woman's house in another city where he works most of the week. One day she appeared in his place watching him naked in the bathroom. She now comes by and does TMI on him. What should he do? Apologize? Move?
Prudie says, in a flurry of double entendres, that he remind her of his expectation of privacy. And tell his wife what's going on, if he hasn't.
I say, yeah. Duh.

The Video Letter is from a woman who has just learned that her BF (most wonderful man in the world) has untreated bipolar disorder. Prudie says he was wrong to keep this secret, which impacts on her, and wrong to go off his meds without trying to find a better solution with his doctor.
I say, yeah. Duh.

LW 2 is the luckiest man in the world, whose wife forgave him an affair and adopted the daughter born to his mistress. The daughter's 8, and knows that her mother is not her biomom. But other people want more details. Prudie says it's nobody else's business.
I say, yeah. Duh. And how did these people learn this info? Blabbermouth. If you tell them this much, they will of course expect more.

LW3 is a "dude" who wants a tattoo to "honor" his mother's parents. His mother objects to tattoos, in a very theatrical, self-threatening way. Prudie says she hates tattoos, too (so do I... fortunately BF also hates self-mutilation), so she makes the case against them. And she makes the case against this being a way to "honor" his grandparents.
I say, yeah. Duh. But if he does really, really want to do this, screw what his mom thinks. And if she's willing to cut her throat over this? She's a crazy the world is well rid of. Or a person with problems bigger than your "tasteful" tattoo.

LW4 is from a person whose coworker eats oatmeal and tunafish every day at her desk. The odor is unbearable, as are other behaviors of coworker. Prudie reminds us that food used to be eaten in appropriate places and times. Prudie suggests language to speak to the wcoworker.
If the question is "should I say something to my coworker", may answer is "yeah, duh". And I remember when I weighed in on the subject in an earlier column, saying that here in France we consider eating at your desk gross, disgusting, and unhygienic, I was attacked by y'all who love eating at your desk so you read DP. But I now have Prudie on my side, so I'll say it again: eat in a restaurant, a cafeteria, a breakroom, not at your desk.

Advice Illustrated: Holiday-free edition

Prudenza does it HERE.

Letter Writer 1 is a mother who does naked nude barebottomed unclothed washing sessions with her husband and 5-year-old daughter. Dad's starting to get uncomfortable with the nuditity. Prudie says if he's uncomfortable, it's time for bath time to become girl time. I say: just how does the daughter open a locked door (while the parents are pooping)? Otherwise, I'm fine with the answer.

Video letter is from a young guy who wants to make other people pay for furnishing his great new apartment (the one he is so proud of paying for, but forgot to budget for furnishing). Creep.

LW2 is from a woman whose life and marriage are suffering from the burden of caring for her aged parents. Prudie says it's time to get them to a home. I say: yes.

LW3 is from a guy whose wife is due to give birth at the same time his sister is getting married 8 hours away. Sister is a bitch. Prudie says that this is a happy occasion, and if sister says one nasty thing, to hang up or leave the room. I say you should tell the whole family that sister gave you an ultimatum: either wife has an abortion or they're out of her life.

LW4 is from a soon-to-be-former grad student who comes across as a high-maintenance prima donna in mock interviews. But she's not, really she's not! Prudie says she might be, and to get more practice. I say, just what kind of advice was LW expecting here?

Advice Illustrated

Originals HERE.

Boy is this a sad, sad week.

LW1 doesn't derive pleasure from sex. Prudie tells her what to do. She does manage to disparage the BF on the basis of nada.

LW2 is a cougar whose sex partner won't marry her due to age difference. Prudie says she has to make a choice, but why not enjoy the hot sex for the moment. I don't see what the issue is. Are they living together? That would be something to consider. If they have great sex, are best friends, love each other and are living together, what more does she really want?

LW3 is needy. I will simply quote from Prudie's fine response:

Your letter made me want to peel you off, and I don't even know you, so imagine how your boyfriend is going to feel when he realizes your need for attention is endless, your capacity infinite. You already know you are punishing your nice current boyfriend in part for the behavior of your previous lousy one (whom you hung around with despite how badly he treated you) and making both of you miserable with your anxiety.

Momentos made from cremains

LW4 is from a divorcée engaged to a widower who had the affrontery to place a photo and miniurn on the side table. Prudence is herself the spouse of a widower, and votes for shutting up. I say that LW is wrong to want a "fresh start" without any presence of "Cynthia" (this is a strange choice of name: we all know that first wives are named "Rebecca"). But the ashes are waaaay too much. Photos, drawings, paintings? Fine. Cremains? Not fine.

Advice Illustrated

From: ://www.slate.com/id/2283596/pagenum/all/#p2

Letter 1 is from a mom who likes her easy-to-manage son more than his older and more difficult sister. Is she evil? Prudie gives some probably-OK advice.
My take: you're a bad mother. Now what?

Letter 2 is from a former druggie slut whose brother and SIL keep talking about her former slutty ways. Their parents won't get involved. Prudie says: "Among your brother's offenses are reading your e-mail, making its content known to everyone, booting you from his wedding party, and spreading gossip about your personal life." She also advises getting LW's pastor in the loop to tell off brother.
I say: I wouldn't bother, and just take Prudie's last bit of advice about leaving the room whenever they open their trap. Also say things like: "you put your cock in that woman's twat, and you think you're in a position to give me lessons about MY behavior?"

Letter 3 is from a father whose wife thinks her future DIL isn't good enough for their precious, beautiful, talented, intelligent, mature, and otherwise generally far-above-average baby boy. By the end of an excessively long answer, Prudie gets to the point: if he has to choose, he'll choose his GF over his mother. Wise mothers don't make their darling baby boys choose.

Letter 4 is worth reading live:

Dear Prudence,
A few years ago, my best friend was going through a rough divorce and said she would never remarry. I told her she would change her mind, so she bet me $1,000 that I was wrong. Needless to say, she remarried within a year. Her new husband knew about the bet, and when they got back from their honeymoon he wrote me a check. I debated for a while about cashing it but thought a bet is a bet and cashed it. I've always felt weird for taking the money and want to pay it back. How do I do that, three years later?
—All Bets Are Off

Dear All,
This is why bets between friends are best if the stakes are a steak dinner and not a month's rent. Write your friend a card, enclose a check for $1,000, and say it makes you really happy to acknowledge her third anniversary to the love of her life—a man who's willing to write a check for a foolish obligation—by canceling out her payment for your prescient prediction.
—Prudie


I have nothing better to say. I would have cashed it too, and then written a new check for the same amount. After deducting the cost of the wedding present to the happy couple.