Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/772140
DILBERT ScottAdams PEARLSBEFORESWINE StephanPastis PICKLES BrianCrane BABYBLUES JerryScott&RickKirkman THEDUPLEX GlennMcCoy ZITS JerryScott&JimBorgman SHERMAN'SLAGOON JimToomey ARGYLESWEATER ScottHilburn BIZARRO DanPiraro DEARAMY»Mybrother and his wife are expecting a third child. My sister-in-law is pushing to have the baby use her last n ame becaus e her side of the family doesn't have any males to carry on the name. This has caused a huge rift in our family. My older parents are heartbroken. I would like to know, is it an ac- cepted social practice to have different last names within the same family? Would not having the same last name as sib- lings cause any negative emotional impact to this third child? What would be a compromise in this situ- ation? I am thinking of suggesting a hyphenated name (her last name, his last name). What do you think? Thank you for your wise advice. —ConcernedSister DEAR SISTER » My first piece of advice is for all of you to remember that this baby has two parents who are making decisions regarding their children. This is their issue (not yours), and the best thing you could do is to urge your brother and his wife to deal with your parents. You could influence your parents by encour- aging them to accept this family's choice with equanimity. Many families sport various last names with- in the family unit. (In my family of five daugh- ters, there are four dif- ferent surnames.) Rarely, families choose to divide the spouses' surnames between children; and this can cause paper- work hassles and some issues when traveling as a family, but you should assume that your brother and his wife are anticipat- ing this. Hyphenating one child's name when the other children don't have a hyphenated last name seems more cumbersome than giving the child the mother's surname — nor would it cut down on the questions or explana- tions as the child moves through life. Children can adjust to this quite easily: "Two of us have our dad's last name and our baby sister has mom's last name," is all the explanation they need to give. DEAR AMY » "Waiting" described her relation- ship of 10 years. She said she was 28 and her boyfriend, 26. You said, " You have b een in this relationship for al- most half your life." Why didn't you point out that this duration was almost half of HIS life? Do the math, lady. — Uninspired DEAR UNINSPIRED » He didn't write to me. She did. But I also real- ize that I didn't describe the math correctly (nor did you). I should have referred to this as "almost a third" of her life. Bestowing mom's surname on baby causes problems You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson. com and follow her on Twitter @askingamy. Amy Dickinson Ask Amy Sudoku Instructions:Theobjectistoplacethe numbers1to9intheemptysquaresso thateachrow,eachcolumnandeach 3x3boxcontainsthenumberonlyonce. AnswertoPreviousPuzzle CelebrityCipher ByLuisCampos Instructions:CelebrityCiphercryptogramsarecreatedfromquotationsbyfamouspeople, pastandpresent.Eachletterinthecipherstandsforanother. NEACrossword Capricorn(Dec.22-Jan. 19) — Love, romance and a new and improved lifestyle should be your top priorities. Looking back will help you make good choices moving forward. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Spending time with your children and making personal physical alterations will bring you joy and greater confidence. Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20) — Personal issues should be addressed and resolved quickly. Shopping, socializing or making plans with children will give you a different perspective on life and how to live it. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Keep your thoughts to yourself until you have a way of making your point heard and having it received in a beneficial way. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Sign up for a course or retreat that will get you in touch with your inner self. Someone you encounter will offer you insight into how you can use your skills masterfully. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Look over contracts, and negoti- ate fairly and with a concrete strategy in mind. Don't neglect your health or your personal life. Make compromises to ensure unity. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Emotions will surface, leaving you in a precarious position. If you are too outspoken, you will bring about an unwanted altercation. Remain neutral and avoid excessive behavior. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Get a second opinion. If you do your due diligence, you will have the foresight to make the best choice. Networking will help clarify what's actually going on in your industry. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Be a leader when it comes to networking, defending your beliefs and making a state- ment that will help shape the outcome of a situation that concerns you. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — Go about your business. Work on projects that allow you to use your intuitive intelligence and creative abilities. Don't give in to emotional manipulation or unreasonable demands. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — You can move money around to ease financial stress, take care of any aches or pains or make physical improvements. A romantic celebration will end your day on a high note. Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — A positive change to your position, reputation or status will result if you are disciplined and determined to finish what you start. Being responsible will help you avoid interference. Horoscope By Eugenia Last WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11 | YOURDAILYBREAK | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017 4 B