Ask Annie

Ask Annie for Oct. 22, 2003

Dear Annie,

Now that my daughter's married and trying to run a home of her own, I have to wonder what I was doing all those years. From the looks of her house, spoiling her rotten and not teaching her anything! She throws all the laundry in together, so her light colored clothes are all getting dingy, and their bed is never made. The thing that bothers me the most, though, is that she drives twenty-five miles one way to town to buy groceries in the bigger, fancier supermarket, thinking they must be cheaper there, when they're not! I showed her the ad for our local little store, and compared prices on what she had got in town, and most things were cheaper back home. But do you think she'll take my advice?

Tired of Talking,

Randle, WA

Dear Tired of Talking,

I bet your daughter's tired of listening, too! No offense, but you need to butt out and mind your own business. I've got grown children now, too, and there are times I have reservations about the decisions they make, but I'm pretty good about zipping the lip. They are their choices to make. I do have to admit, though, the grocery thing would bother me, too. What will change your daughter's mind and make her see the light will be 1) she'll learn product prices and be able to spot a bargain when she comes across one and 2) she'll realize the less she spends on groceries, the more she'll have for more fun things in life. Remember what our moms said, decades ago, about how we wouldn't forget to turn a light off when leaving a room if we paid the power bill? Isn't it true? But you still hated hearing your mother say it at the time.

Annie

Please write to: Annie, P.O. Box 1084, Eatonville,WA 98328

E-mail: letters_annie@hotmail.com

Past Ask Annies:

Oct. 22, 2003 Did I raise my daughter to do these things?

Oct. 15, 2003 Misunderstanding about School Workers' Kindness

Oct. 8, 2003 Prayer for Brown Sisters Killed and Change Schoolyear to Oct.1 to June 30

Oct. 1, 2003 Response About Non-tipping Lotto Winner

Sept. 24, 2003 Church-goers Inattentive

Sept. 17, 2003 Friend Sells My Stuff on Ebay

Sept. 10, 2003 Lottery Winner Didn't Tip Clerk

Sept. 3, 2003 Business Insults to Consumers

Aug. 27, 2003 Divison of Wedding Expense

Aug. 20, 2003 School Workers' Kindness & Men's Attractiveness

Aug. 13, 2003 Attractiveness Hints

Aug. 6, 2003 Annie's Husband's Accident at Work

July 30, 2003 Deer Automatic Sprinkler Best & Stores Don't Stock Washington Clothes

July 23, 2003 Scarecrows and Halloween Decorations Scare Off Prowlers Too

July 16, 2003 Redhead Asks Attractiveness Advice

July 9, 2003 Camper Littering

July 2, 2002 Atomatic Deer Scarecrow Blasts Prowler

June 25, 2003 Library Newsletter Omitted Packwood Library

June 18, 2003 Thank Troops for Freedom