ANNIE’S MAILBOX: Jobless ‘Emmett’ is still immature

By Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar

Dear Annie: I am 21 and have a baby with my boyfriend, “Emmett,” who is 19. I love him dearly, but I don’t know what to do. He is unemployed and goes out all the time.

I am stuck with two young children at home while Emmett does nothing but sleep and party. I continue to support him, but he hardly helps. There are several minimum-wage positions available to him, but he’s stubborn and wants something better. He says he wants to support the family on his own. As much as I’d love that, it’s just not possible at this time. Also, Emmett is mean, saying I complain too much about what he needs to do, that it will happen in time. I’ve suggested counseling because we fight so much, but he refuses. How do I convince him to settle for a minimum-wage job and work on our relationship before it’s too late?

Love Struck for a Mule

Dear Love Struck: You sound like a sensible woman, but Emmett is 19 and not mature enough to be a responsible partner and father. You cannot force him to grow up. Frankly, you’d be better off financially if you asked him to leave and sued for child support.

Dear Annie: I work for a small company, and we’ve had cutbacks, layoffs and reduced benefits.

One co-worker uses her time to manage her personal life. She does very little work. She is constantly texting, writing emails to friends and updating her blog, and she lies about the length of her lunch break.

I reported this to the managers, and her behavior has only worsened. How far up the corporate chain should I take this without risking my own job?

Frustrated Worker

Dear Frustrated: If your company has an HR department, you can register a complaint there. It’s possible this woman has some kind of “protected” status. While it isn’t fair, you cannot force management to get rid of her. The best you can do is focus on your job and ignore her.

Dear Annie: I’d like to share my solution for teaching children manners. When my kids were 9, 8 and 7, we started a tradition of formal Thursday night dinners. I would shop in the morning and cook all afternoon, and then we would eat in the dining room with the good china, silver and crystal.

The children had a choice: If they wished to build mashed-potato forts and shoot each other with pea cannonballs, that was fine. But it meant they’d have their supper in the kitchen.

If they wished to eat with us in the dining room, they had to use their best grown-up manners. That included eating with the proper forks from a choice of at least three, as well as two knives.

They always chose the dining room, and their manners were impeccable. I’m proud of them.

No Pea Shooters in My Home

Annie’s Snippet for Income Tax Day (author unknown): Did you ever notice that when you put the words “The” and “IRS” together, it spells “THEIRS”?

Email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

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