DEAR ABBY: A family member has recently lost more than 100 pounds running and doing yoga. She looks fantastic. Yoga is the focus of her life now, and she posts daily photos of herself on social media. In many of them she is scantily clad and in poses some might consider risque.
Whenever she attends family gatherings or outings to public places, she wants to take pictures of herself in various poses. This makes some of the people she’s with uncomfortable. She says she doesn’t care what others think, but there have been quite a few negative comments about this, and people have “unfollowed” her on social media. Others think it’s OK for her to do her thing. What is your opinion on this? — GAGGING IN GEORGIA
DEAR GAGGING: Your relative deserves praise for having adopted a healthier lifestyle. However, because she doesn’t care what others think, any family member who finds her pictures too risque for their comfort should quit following her on social media.
DEAR ABBY: My daughter, “Kelly,” and I are arguing over whether she should take her trophies with her when she moves out on her own. I feel that when kids move out, they should take all their belongings. Kelly thinks I should keep the 10 to 15 trophies she won in beauty pageants when she was younger.
I’d like to turn her bedroom into a guest room where visiting relatives can stay, but I’m having difficulty getting my daughter to take all her stuff. Although she has grown out of her childhood trophies, she expects me to hold onto them. I suggested she pack them up and store them in her attic so she can show her children her accomplishments one day. What do you think? — BEAUTY QUEEN’S MOM IN INDIANA
DEAR MOM: I think that if you want a guest room instead of a shrine to your daughter’s beauty contest achievements, you should set a deadline and insist that her trophies be removed.
DEAR ABBY: A friend of mine and I have exchanged birthday cards for many years. Several years ago, she started sending me two cards each year — one on my birthday and another five or six months later. After a couple more years passed, the “second date” became the only card she sent.
I know I should have said something, but I didn’t want to embarrass her. This year on my “birthday” she even called to wish me a happy one.
Is there anything I can do now? My REAL birthday is coming up soon, and I feel bad that I didn’t nip this in the bud in the beginning. — ONE AT A TIME IN WASHINGTON
DEAR ONE: Oh, for Pete’s sake! Friends should be able to level with each other without ruining the friendship. If you want to save her from embarrassment, tell her YOU are embarrassed because you didn’t say something earlier. Then enjoy a good laugh together.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
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