'Debbie' thinks she can rule the house

Dear Annie: I'm 19 and attending college. I room with five other girls, and the father of one of them, "Debbie," owns the house we live in.
The problem? Debbie believes that since it is her father's house, she gets to make all the rules. We all agree on no drinking, smoking or doing drugs, but she likes to make up others. For example, she just broke up with her boyfriend and gets jealous when she sees me with mine, so she created a "no dates in the house" rule. When another roommate forgot to come home in time for Debbie's birthday party, Debbie made up a 9:00 curfew. She now has a dress code, tells us what we can and can't eat in the house, and she's really starting to tick us off.
When we ignore her rules, Debbie does vindictive things like turn off the power, water or heat. When we complain to her father, he tells us to just humor her a little. It's not possible for me to move out. Am I overreacting? Annoyed Roommate
Dear Annoyed: Debbie is a bully. Rules between roommates must be agreed upon by the majority. Have a meeting of all roommates, preferably with Dad there, and present a written list of acceptable house rules. Say that new rules will be voted on. Any time Debbie turns off the heat, water or power, be sure to send a written complaint to the "landlord." If Dad gets repeated notices of tenant abuses, he will tell Debbie to knock it off. Otherwise, start saving your money so you can move. No break on rent is worth the roommate from hell.
Dear Annie: My daughter has been married to "Ethan" for a few years. Despite being in his 30s, Ethan's mother calls him "her baby boy," and whenever possible, likes to grab his behind and give it a good squeeze.
This woman will call their home and ask about Ethan and the kids, but not my daughter. Ethan neither condones nor condemns this behavior. He does nothing. It's making my daughter upset, to say the least.
Everyone has noticed that his mother acts a little possessive toward Ethan, but not with her other son. My husband and I love our son-in-law, but we don't know what to do. Not So Touchy-Feely
Dear Touchy-Feely: You do nothing. This is your daughter's problem, not yours, and it's best if you don't get involved other than to offer a shoulder to lean on. So Ethan's mother favors him and pinches his behind. Not great, but it need not be a major deal, either. Your daughter should discuss this with Ethan. If the relationship between your daughter and her mother-in-law is more rivalry than friendship, it will apparently be up to your daughter to reassure Mom and warm things up. We hope she will try.
Dear Annie: I completely understand "Keeping It Together in Michigan," whose husband left her and she ended up on food stamps. I was married for 24 years. When I started having problems with arthritis, my husband couldn't deal with it and found someone else. The judge awarded me barely enough to cover expenses for our son, and it certainly didn't cover my medical expenses.
I never thought this would happen to me. I should have taken some of my payroll checks and put them away for a rainy day, but we always combined our money into joint accounts -- which my ex closed out after he took all our money.
Annie, warn your readers to put aside some money, no matter how little. I always thought my marriage would last forever. It's bad enough to be devastated by divorce, but to be financially ruined on top of that really hurts. Supporting My Son Alone
Dear Supporting: One never wants to believe that a spouse could be such a rat, but it happens often enough that it is wise to have a nest egg of one's own. We appreciate the warning.
Creators Syndicate
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