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DILBERT ScottAdams PEARLSBEFORESWINE StephanPastis PICKLES BrianCrane BABYBLUES JerryScott&RickKirkman THEDUPLEX GlennMcCoy ZITS JerryScott&JimBorgman SHERMAN'SLAGOON JimToomey ARGYLESWEATER ScottHilburn BIZARRO DanPiraro DEARAMY»Iamateen- ager and I am adopted. I was raised knowing that I'm adopted, but not knowing the full identity of my birth mother. My birth mother wrote letters for a while when I was younger and some presents were sent, but I never knew her full name or anything about her. I had one picture of her and only knew her first name. After years of search- ing on social media I found her. But when I tried to contact her, she didn't write back. I know she has seen the message that I sent, but she has chosen to ignore it. I even wrote her another letter, but still nothing. Why would she ignore me after sending me let- ters for years? Does she not want to get to know me anymore? If you were in her shoes, what would you do? —WonderingCarolina Teen DEAR WONDERING » I'm more comfortable wear- ing your shoes than your birth mother's. I know the feeling of emptiness and the questions when you are searching for an absent parent, only to face more rejection and disappointment once you find them. This becomes part of your story, but it doesn't have to defeat you. Your birth mother might have surrendered you to try to protect you and give you a better life than she could provide. She may be avoiding you now for the same reason. One question all teenagers are supposed to ask themselves is — who am I? What you are doing now is completely normal and appropriate for an adopted person, and I hope you find some com- fort in knowing that. I also hope that — like me — you have a great parent (or parents) who are raising you. Perhaps you are trying to protect them from the hurt you feel, but you should try to be open with them about this — and they should try to help you now. A great book for your family to read is "Ad- opted: The Ultimate Teen Guide (It Happened to Me)" by Suzanne Buck- ingham Slade (2013, Scarecrow Press). Ask your folks to order it, so you can read it together an d ta l k ab ou t it . DEAR AMY » My heart goes out to "At a Loss," who expressed grief and confu- sion about the absence of her divorced husband in their d aughter s' liv es. When my wife di- vorced me, despite my ongoing attempts to be sincerely involved with our small children, it became impossible for me to truly have a role in their everyday lives. When they became teenagers and developed busy schedules of their own, the circumstances only became worse. This is a common plight for divorced dads. It was and continues to be heart-breaking for me. — Uncle Dad DEAR DAD » Parenting is directly proportional to time spent with children. Noncustodial parents face tremendous obstacles in this regard. Adopted teen heartbroken by search for birth mother You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@tribpub.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 Pisces(Feb.20-March20) — Look for a unique way to im- press someone you want to get to know better or who is special to you. A kind gesture will speak volumes about your feelings. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Taking on too much will spark your emotions. You need to prioritize in order to overcome any feelings of incompetence. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Listen attentively. You have more to gain from being a spec- tator than a participant. Learn, summarize and prepare to bring about changes that help you. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Your success rate will climb if you put your best foot forward and stay true to your beliefs and abilities. Putting forth your best effort will lead to victory. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Make interesting changes to your home. Emotional issues will arise, but if you are sensi- tive to other people's sugges- tions, you will end up satisfying everyone's needs. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Romance should be a priority. Make a commitment to some- one you cherish in order to bring about positive change. Sharing your plans will allow you to do something special. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Refuse to be tempted by a sales pitch or an investment that sounds too good to be true. Limit your spending, and focus more on creating a stable and inviting domestic situation. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — Love, romance, friendship and relaxation should take top priority. Share your feel- ings and make personal improvements. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Try something you've never done before. Explore new possibilities and consider how you can make a difference to a cause you believe in. Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Emotional reactions will flare up, along with question- able information that can cause problems between you and a friend or family member. Say little until you have all the facts. Indulgence will be costly. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Don't try to change oth- ers when you should be con- centrating on making personal improvements that will help you get ahead. Hone your skills or update your appearance. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You'll see things clearly and get the inside scoop. Your insight and imagination will enable you to successfully carry out an ambitious project. Romance is featured. Horoscope By Eugenia Last THURSDAY, FEB. 25 THURSDAY,FEBRUARY25,2016 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |YOURDAILYBREAK | 3 B