Dear Abby: I live in Norfolk, Va., where our school systems are embroiled in a huge battle over changes in public school sex education.
I hope every opponent of the Family Life Education curriculum read the letter from the 14-year-old girl who wanted to know if she could get pregnant the ”first time.” It is obvious that the sex education program at this girl`s school has failed to meet her needs.
And while I have your ear, Abby, I`d like to address another way schools are failing their students. Abby, you get many letters from school-age children, all spending 25 cents to ask you questions they could have answered free.
Don`t schools teach students how to use a library anymore? And Abby, why don`t you ever plug our library system? It would make my day to see you answer someone`s letter with, ”Look it up.” It might put you out of business, but if you could teach one young person how valuable our libraries are, you could consider your job of educating the nation well done.
A Friend of the Library.
Dear Friend: You must be a new reader. I have plugged our public libraries numerous times. But for those who might have missed it, here`s what I`ve said:
If I could give young people one piece of advice it would be, read, read, read! In reading, you will open up new worlds, real and imagined. Read for information, read for pleasure. Our libraries are filled with knowledge and joy, and it`s all there-free for the taking.
Dear Abby: About 12 years ago, my father died and left my sister and me a modest sum of money. As part of his will, he also set up trust funds to provide college educations for my two children, who were his only
grandchildren at the time.
Shortly after Dad`s death, my younger sister married, and now she has two children. Here`s the problem: My sister tries to make me feel guilty because my children-now teen-agers-”have it made” for their college educations, while she and her husband will have to beg, borrow or scrape together the money to send their kids to college.
She says Dad should have made some arrangements for his future grandchildren. Is this ever done?
Guilt-Tripped by Sis.
Dear Guilt-Tripped: Yes. An attorney (or estate planner) could and should have suggested that provisions be made for all grandchildren who may arrive.
Your sister may have good reason to resent the fact that her children were shortchanged, but she shouldn`t take it out on you. Your father and his estate planners were responsible for either the oversight or the deliberate choice to include only your children and no others.
Dear Abby: My daughter, who is a grown woman, has a boyfriend she likes very much, except for one thing-when he eats he talks with food in his mouth! She says this bothers her so much she can hardly stand it, but she doesn`t know him well enough-nor does she have the guts-to tell him.
She is just about ready to give him up for that reason. He is really a wonderful man and I would hate to see her give him up. I thought maybe if you`d print this, it may get to him-or someone else who needs some lessons in good manners.
Someone from Minnesota.
Dear Someone: I`ll try:
Confidential to ”Someone in Minnesota” (or in any of the other 49 states): If you talk with food in your mouth, please don`t, because you are in danger of losing your girlfriend.
