Thursday, September 22, 2011

Advice Illusrated: Post Fray?

Too obvious, I know.
Letter 1 is from a woman whose husband of two years has been cheating on her. The other woman says it's been a long-thing, he says it was a one-off ages ago. She still likes him and is in therapy, but doesn't really believe him. Prudie says she's right to doubt him: he didn't confess, he got caught. Prudie says to ask the other woman for proof of an on-going affair. I say: pretend it never happened. Become monogamish. You really don't want to know, do you? Make sure he arranges things in the future so that you don't find out.

Video letter is from a woman whose father and step-mother ("his wife") drive her crazy on their annual visit. Prudie says to tell them they'll be staying at a motel for future visits, but that in the big scheme of things, she's got it lucky. I say, yeah, whatever. And when they ask if this or that item in your house is new, is it so very hard to say "yes" or "no"?

Letter 2 is from a woman whose friend has invited her to her wedding. She also invited LW's mother, but not her father. When LW called to find out why, "friend" told her that since her father has been given only weeks to live, it wasn't worth planning on him coming months from now to her wedding. Prudie says the "friend" is a pig and for all to decline the invitation and drop this humunculouse as a "friend". I say it's time for all their mutual friends to know, too. You might send a card, though, saying "I was going to send you a wedding gift, but since you're going to die at some point, I figured it wasn't worth it."

Letter 3 is from a recent grad working for Americorps and living at home whose parents have decided to stick him for half of his expensive private college education (after telling him not to go to a state school). And now they've sold their vacation home to cover his college costs, and they want to use some of the leftover cash to go on an expensive vacation with him, and with him paying his "share". Prudie says to tell them that if they had expected him to pay for his education, they needed to make that clear before, and that he will not be joining them on their vacation. And to get a job and get out of their home ASAP.
I say: Why is it so expensive? Back in my day, we had financial aid, based on ability to pay. This guy's parents are nuts, and seem to be poor financial planners if they have to seel their vacation home to pay for their child's education. This is confirmed by the fact that the first thing they decided to do with the excess cash was to blow it on a dream vacation. How about putting it away for your retirement? In any case, these are a pair of creeps.

Letter 4 is from a young woman whose mentally retarded male neighbor is always hanging around trying to chat with her. Put up with it or get him to stop? And how?  Prudie says to chat when she can, and to tell his mother that there are groups providing activities for mentally retarded adults. And also about how we should use a term other than "mentally retarded". I say that I don't really know. This could get creepy/dangerous at some point. The LW makes him sound kind of stalkery. I think if I were her I might be a bit afraid. His mental age is 8 but his body is 25, and it sounds like he's not gotten as much support as he could have growing up.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Vid: Inquiries about whether something is new are normally either attempts to make conversation, or attempts to admire something about the host. But the host/hostess doesn't WANT to make conversation with or even be admired by "His Wife." She needs to see a shrink to get over it.

Kati said...

"You might send a card, though, saying "I was going to send you a wedding gift, but since you're going to die at some point, I figured it wasn't worth it.""

= priceless!