Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/331754
DILBERT ScottAdams PEARLSBEFORESWINE StephanPastis PICKLES BrianCrane BABYBLUES JerryScott&RickKirkman GETFUZZY DarbyConley ZITS JerryScott&JimBorgman SHERMAN'SLAGOON JimToomey ARGYLESWEATER ScottHilburn BIZARRO DanPiraro DEARCAROLYN»Our 28-year-old son "Bill" has been married for five years to a woman we are slowly starting to resent. "Jen- nifer" is working on an advanced degree in Italian. She took the opportunity to study abroad for a year in Italy, and Bill suspended his own career path to go to Italy as well. They ended up living in sepa- rate cities. Shortly after returning to the states she took a job as a flight attendant, which means she spends days at a time away from home. She has recently received two scholarships for study, one in another city for three months and the other to return to Italy for a year. Bill will not leave his job for either one. We're finding it hard to shake the feeling that she prefers to spend time away from Bill. In addition, her father is fairly wealthy and has bought their two homes for them; Bill's name does not appear on either. She calls and visits her family regularly, but we see her maybe once a year, and we never speak on the phone unless we ask if we can say hi. Bill is very intelligent, personable and hardwork- ing (as is she), but we're wondering if he's just "settling" for someone who doesn't seem to give him or his family much of her attention. He says they're doing "fine" but doesn't want to talk in any more detail about their mar- riage. My wife has been pushing me to pursue a deeper conversation with our son. Thoughts? —Bill'sFather DEAR BILL'S FATHER » Your son is precious to you, and to watch him be treated as an apparent afterthought — by the person he chose to cherish him most — must be a steady source of anguish. I'm sorry. I'm also sympa- thetic to your wife in wanting to take action to fix it. But it's neither your place nor hers to do that; in fact, you can't even say for certain that anything needs fixing. Imagine a kite anchored to the ground. Some couples use their love and their prom- ise to each other as that anchor, so they can remain secure but also soar on their own. Maybe your son has that kind of marriage, maybe he doesn't, but either way, your job is to treat things as "fine" un- less and until he chooses to tell you otherwise. Presumably he gave you that answer when you asked whether everything was OK between him and Jennifer. If so, that tells me you dangled before him a clear opportunity to share with you, and he didn't bite. So don't push for more from him. Instead, give more to him: Check in a little more often, unob- trusively. Get him talking about non-charged topics. Love him, respect him, listen to him, stand by him. These confer strength, and strength is something you can be sure he'll need — without having to do any prying into what he'll need it for. Parents think son is being left behind by daughter-in-law Carolyn Hax Ask Carolyn Email Carolyn Hax at tellme@washpost.com, follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ carolyn.hax or chat with her online at noon Eastern time each Friday at www.washingtonpost.com. Sudoku Instructions:Theobjectistoplacethe numbers1to9intheemptysquaresso thateachrow,eachcolumnandeach 3x3boxcontainsthenumberonlyonce. AnswertoPreviousPuzzle CelebrityCipher ByLuisCampos Instructions:CelebrityCiphercryptogramsarecreatedfromquotationsbyfamouspeople, pastandpresent.Eachletterinthecipherstandsforanother. NEACrossword Gemini(May21-June20)— Don't become lazy in your work habits. Your peers depend on you to do your best. There are skilled people willing to jump in and take your place. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You should concentrate on ro- mantic and sentimental issues. It's likely someone you love feels the same way, so make plans. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Consider remodeling or rede- signing your home. Check out real estate in your region to get a host of good ideas that will help improve your scene. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Don't make any spur-of-the- moment decisions. Question the motives of someone who is trying to talk you into a contro- versial or unproven investment. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — Let everyone know about your innovative ideas. Applying your creative talents to your work will help you out- maneuver any competition you encounter. Put your best foot forward. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Invest in you. Don't hesitate to seize an opportunity. Get the ball rolling and turn your dreams into reality. It's up to you to make things happen. Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Don't wait until it's too late. If something isn't going your way, deal with it head-on. You'll feel much better once you know you have nothing to worry about. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Listen to the voice of experience. Your friends and relatives want to help. They have faith in your talents and will do the best they can on your behalf. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You will gain a lot of mean- ingful insight and information if you listen to an older or more experienced friend or relative. Free your head of distractions and offer your attention. Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20) — You may feel let down if someone decides to do things without you. Let him or her have space, and look for an activity you can pursue on your own. Aries (March 21-April 19) — A little exploring could lead you to discover what is going on be- hind the scenes. Someone will try to withhold vital information regarding a decision you need to make. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Don't let restlessness lead to trouble. A good cure for boredom is doing yard work or home repairs. You can avoid complaints if you take care of responsibilities without being asked. Horoscope By Bernice Bede Osol WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 | YOURDAILYBREAK | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2014 6 B