DEAR ABBY: I have been seeing a wonderful man for seven months and spend every weekend with him. We live 45 miles apart, but it works for us. He has a group of friends, five ladies, that he spends a lot of time with. He dated one of them for a year before he broke it off, but they remain friends. I have met the group and, while they act friendly, I get a proprietary vibe from them. It makes me feel extremely uncomfortable around them and I have told him so. Am I looking for trouble where there isn’t any? Should I just ignore the fact that his friends are women? He has men friends, too, but it’s the girls he is closer to. – THREATENED IN ARIZONA
DEAR THREATENED: Some men relate better to women than they do to men – which may be why your gentleman friend is closer to these women than to his male friends. They may be emitting a “proprietary vibe” because they feel threatened and fear you will steal him away.
I don’t know where this relationship is headed, and neither do you at this point. So for now, ignore the “vibes.” Be warm and friendly to the women and concentrate on what you have going with him. And please, write me again in six months so I and my readers know what happens.
DEAR ABBY: My daughter is expecting her second child. I threw a baby shower for her when she was expecting her first and she complained that it “felt cheap” and wasn’t the celebration she envisioned. I was deeply hurt, but the shower was for her, and I did not want to focus on my feelings. I apologized and tried to make it up with extra gifts. I am unsure whether I should plan a shower for her now. I don’t want to offend her by not doing so. Everyone in our circle is fully vaccinated for COVID so that would not be a concern. Please advise. – WELL-MEANING IN NEW MEXICO
DEAR WELL-MEANING: Your daughter’s behavior is rude, insensitive and ungrateful. You are under no obligation to give her another baby shower. If she approaches you for another one, suggest she ask some of her friends to give her the “shower of her dreams.”