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Not making excuses anymore

Dear Annie: My husband pouts and refuses to come with me when I visit our kids and grandkids, choosing instead to stay home watching TV and playing on his computer. I used to make excuses for him –– saying he was busy or doing chores –– but now I just tell the truth: “Grandpa’s crabby and staying home.” His father used to fake stomachaches and headaches to get out of things, and now he’s doing the same. When he started that routine with me a few weeks ago, I called him out: “I understand you don’t want to go, but I won’t accept you lying about it. Either get ...

Deciding whether to homeschool your children

Dear Heloise: I read your hints all the time in our newspaper in Houston, and I’d like to ask your opinion about homeschooling versus public schools. My husband wants me to quit my job and homeschool our twin boys. They’ll be starting first grade this fall. I’d rather work at my job that I enjoy and send them to a private school rather than a public one for high school. To me, it seems that school does more than teach subjects; it teaches kids to accept other people who are different from them. It also teaches teamwork, friendships are established, and compromise is learned. I ...

Insistence about scan saves life of cancer patient

DEAR DR. ROACH: About 12 years ago, I had a scan done to look for the cause of a problem that I was having for many months: pain in my abdomen and vomiting. (It turned out to be Barrett’s esophagus, which was found with a scope.) Fortunately for me, I read the report from the scan. The report said there was a spot on my kidney that ought to be checked in a year. I was very busy at the time, and my doctor retired, so I had to find another one. Five years went by, and one day, during a routine visit with my doctor, I remembered the report and asked my new doctor for another scan. ...

Horoscope

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ve a talent for connection. You’ll keep things light and skim the surface of topics until you find the one that rings. That’s when you’ll go deeper, but only slightly... just enough to get the rapport that starts a relationship rolling. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There’s a bit of a tangle today: ambition, responsibilities, reconciling certain aspects of a relationship with your self-image -- it’s all (SET ITAL)a lot,(END ITAL) but that’s the thing about tangles. One snip of the scissors can free up the whole thing. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). ...

The hidden struggles of nurses

Dear Readers: So many of you wrote in about the nurse column, and I truly appreciate your feedback and your service. Nursing is one of the most vital professions, and nurses deserve both respect and protection for the critical work they do. Below are two perspectives from fellow nurses. Dear Annie: As a fellow veteran nurse, I wanted to share my perspective. I appreciate your acknowledgment of the hard work nurses do, but I feel that your response missed a critical point. While it is important to consider the emotions of a patient’s family, it is equally vital to recognize the ...