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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»Mynephew and his wife recently had their first baby. We live in the same city, and are close. The day the baby was born, doctors thought she might be seriously ill. Tests revealed that she was fine. The new parents only allowed grandpar- ents to go meet her in the hospital. My nephew texted me a few weeks later to tell me that I was permitted to meet the baby, but that the pediatrician said that the baby shouldn't be around children, so my kids, ages 11 and 9, were not allowed to come over for at least two months. I said I wouldn't meet the baby until my chil- dren could. I was upset at the exclusion. I understand want- ing to protect a child, but there are photos at my mom's house with many different people holding the baby for her one-month birthday. She is now three months old. I realize this is not the baby's fault. It might be mine, for not going to meet her, but my kids were hurt and I was angry. How can I gracefully respond to my nephew when I do meet his baby? —UpsetAunt DEAR AUNT » First-time parents are often nervous about exposing their baby to the world. The family had an early health scare, and now they are doing what they think is best for their baby. You should be toler- ant. They're figuring things out. They might be overprotective, but they are the parents and you should respect their role. If the message in the early weeks was that your children should not meet the baby, you should have dealt with your kids' disappoint- ment like a good parent does — encouraging your kids to handle this temporary moratorium in a mature fashion. Instead you joined them, and now you're all sulking. The way to respond to your nephew when you finally meet the child is to make a fuss over the bab y, tel lin g the young father how perfect and wonderful she is. Apologize for not meeting the baby sooner. Tell him you were upset your chil- dren were prevented from meeting their cousin and ask him to forgive you for your pettiness. DEAR AMY » I appreciated your advice to "Worried Future Mother-in-Law," whose daughter was marrying a guy whose mother was belligerent when drunk. They were worried about the wedding. We faced something similar in our family. We had a friend who was willing to hang out with our alcoholic family member to intervene, if necessary. It wasn't. — Been There DEAR BEEN THERE » I'm happy this worked out for all of you. Aunt's nose is out of joint over not being able to see baby 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) — Your charm will help you win favors and attract attention. Express your feelings in order to receive the encouragement you need to push forward. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — A change will do you good. Something you always wanted to do will be possible now. Volunteer for something you believe in. Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20) — Your charm will help you win favors or gain the support you need from someone influential. Don't feel pressured to make an impulsive decision. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Maintaining a strong sense of discipline will help you reduce stress. Too much of anything will lead to problems at work. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Do something nice for some- one; it doesn't have to entail a hefty price tag. Living within your means will help keep your stress level low and your bank account fat. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Listen to your heart, not to what others tell you. Don't feel that you have to overachieve to make an impression. If someone doesn't accept you the way you are, you need to move on. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Explore new avenues, travel to unfamiliar places and do things that excite you. Live in the moment and strive for self- awareness and perfection. Make love a priority. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Set up a routine that will help you strive to look and be your best. Changes at home will initially help, but if you don't follow through with them, nothing will change. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Mixing business with pleasure will lead to stronger alliances. An important partnership will improve if you spend more time nurturing it and less time trying to buy love. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — It's a good day to initiate change. If someone beats you to it, you aren't going to be happy with the outcome or the time it will take you to revise your plans. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Make your home a place of comfort, and designate a space that you find conducive to creative pursuits. It's OK to do things differently. Don't wait for validation when you can begin to follow your dream. Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — You need to re-evaluate matters and think about what you could have done differently. It's never too late to learn or to change your mind or direction. Horoscope By Eugenia Last TUESDAY, JAN. 3 | YOURDAILYBREAK | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2017 4 B