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Dad needs to soul-search before sons meet

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

Q. My ex and I married really young, I was 19 he was 20. We had a child soon after, but my ex was not ready to be a father and left us. He moved back in with his parents in another state and went to college, but we rarely saw him. I stayed in touch with his parents by email. About two years later I met a wonderful man. We also married, and he became very close to my son. My son knows he is not his biological father, but he calls him DAD. Last week I got a call from my ex’s mother saying that her son had remarried and has another child. He would like our son to meet his sibling. I am at a loss for how to handle this. My son is 8 years old. What’s good ex-etiquette?A.  My experience suggests that it would be approached as a step plan. The most common procedure would be to slowly introduce your ex to his son, starting with supervised visits, progressing to hourly visits, then day visits, then overnights. It takes a while, if done correctly, so as not to traumatize the child.It is ironi...

It’s the little things that make a Nantucket escape enchanting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

Ahh Nantucket: A small island with a big impact. It’s a destination recognized worldwide, drawing huge crowds all summer long. It’s at once a movie backdrop and celebrity escape, and yet holds tight to it’s quaint ambiance.A recent visit there, before Memorial Day but after the cold passed, helped me realize that it’s the little things that make Nantucket a big adventure.And while you may find these suggestions busier in the summer months, seeking them out will still make your visit extra special.Time to savor the doughnutsA friend had told me I simply had to grab breakfast at The Downyflake on Sparks Avenue (https://www.thedownyflake.com) a family-owned diner that’s been a local fave for nearly 90 years.It’s lovely and comfy, and the service and menu are great – but oh, those doughnuts.Cooked fresh all day, they’re crusty and buttery on the outside, flaky on the inside and come in amazing flavors. You can choose to have one instead of toast, or add one (we proclaimed th...

Absentee ex resurfaces to spend time with daughter

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

Q. I have sole custody of my daughter who is just finishing kindergarten.  Her father has been out of the picture since she was born.  We never went to court for anything and I have always done everything for her.  My two older kids are in college in Connecticut and I want to be closer to them.  I have been looking for housing and a job there.  I found a place to live as of July 1 and gave my landlord notice.  I have some good leads for a job.Last week my mom saw my ex’s mother and mentioned that my daughter and I are moving. Out of nowhere, my ex started calling saying he wants to start taking our daughter for the weekend.  He has a long history of drug addiction but says he has been clean for three months.  I am scared he is going to try to mess up my move.  What should I do?A.  First and foremost, three months is not long enough for him to have unsupervised time with your daughter – especially where he has no relationship with her at this point.  If there is a relationship betwee...

Schwarzenegger’s still got it, ‘FUBAR’ not so much

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

For the first time, Arnold Schwarzenegger is starring in a television series.The longtime action star — and former California governor — hasn’t exactly leaped out of his comfort zone with the one-hour action-comedy “FUBAR,” the eight-episode debut season streaming on Netflix.According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series created by Nick Santora is “loosely inspired” by “True Lies,” an action-comedy movie from writer-director James Cameron. In that well-received romp, Schwarzenegger portrays Harry Tasker, who hides the fact he is a U.S. spy from his family.In “FUBAR,” Schwarzenegger portrays Luke Brunner, who, well, hides the fact he is a U.S. spy from his family.The “Lies”-like premise isn’t the problem with “FUBAR,” which, in a fun nod to the film, brings in one of Schwarzenegger’s costars, Tom Arnold, for a guest-starring role in the fifth installment.What is the problem? It simply isn’...

Charming Yaveliy loves movies & reading

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

Yaveliy is a charming girl. She loves to build with LEGOs, play basketball and watch movies. She is currently in the 5th grade and does very well with an educational plan in place to help her with emotional and social needs. Yaveliy enjoys being involved in school activities.She has been described by others as fun loving and always having her music close by to listen to. She is very close to her siblings especially her older sister who lives nearby. They contact with each other and also enjoy virtual calls.Yaveliy has a large number of siblings who all live in western Massachusetts with whom she will need to maintain contact. She would do best in a two-parent family with younger children in the home. She will thrive with one on one attention, love, structureCan I Adopt?If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; ...

Parker: Welfare work requirements make everyone better off

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

The Congressional Budget Office has just released its latest projection for the next ten years.“In the agency’s updated projections, annual deficits nearly double over the next decade, reaching $2.7 trillion in 2033 … As a result of those deficits, debt held by the public also increases in CBO’s projections, from 98% of GDP at the end of this year to 119% at the end of 2033.”The picture keeps getting worse.The difference between Democrats and Republicans on the issue: Republicans say let’s do something; Democrats say let’s do nothing.House Republicans have put forward the Limit, Save, Grow Act as condition for increasing the debt limit, which imposes limits on growth of spending over the next 10 years and achieves reductions in expenditures.Democrats are beside themselves because Republicans propose to achieve efficiencies in spending in Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) and Temporary Assistance for Needy ...

Jake Swamp and the Pine bring campfire vibes to Brighton Music Hall

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

Jake Swamp and the Pine has a motto: The outdoors brought to your ears.On the act’s debut album, “Simpson and Banks,” the songs explore rain clouds, open fields, darkness blooming to sunrise, trains and train tracks. Jake Swamp and the Pine pairs these lyrics with an Americana vibe powered by acoustic guitar and adorned with flourishes of rock and bluegrass instrumentation.“I think this music accompanies a campfire really well,” singer-songwriter Drew Zieff told the Herald. “I love being outdoors. I was gardening this afternoon, hiking yesterday, and I love climbing and camping and I want my music to be reflective of that.”Zieff is the entirety of Jake Swamp and the Pine. The name, not surprisingly, has roots in the natural world – the tallest tree in Massachusetts, a 163-foot white pine, is named for Mohawk statesman Jake Swamp. While Zieff will celebrate the release of “Simpson and Banks” at a June 2 show at Brighton Music Hall, his journey to his warm, meditative campfire aesthet...

Dear Abby: Couple reconciles, but friends are skeptical

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

Dear Abby: My husband and I were married nine years. He unexpectedly left me when COVID first hit. We were apart for a year and eight months and ended up divorcing. I filed because, even though I didn’t want to believe it, I eventually accepted that it was over. Even though he hadn’t actually filed the papers, he had taken all other necessary steps. It was the first time in my life I had ever felt this level of heartbreak.After time passed, he reached out and wanted to reconcile. We’ve been back together ever since, and he has asked me to get remarried. I happily agreed because he has been in therapy and made amazing changes.My friends have mixed feelings about our remarrying. They saw how devastated I was when he left and how hard I worked to pick myself up and start over. We didn’t have a wedding our first time, so this time we are planning to have one. The date is set and the venue is booked. I have all these feelings of excitement, but it’s hard to ...

Motorcyclist hurt in Mission Beach crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A motorcyclist was hurt in a two-vehicle crash Saturday that also prompted a road to temporarily close in Mission Beach, authorities said.The collision occurred around 4:15 p.m. at 1000 West Mission Bay Drive, according to the San Diego Police Department.A 54-year-old man was driving westbound in a 2011 Toyota Camry on West Mission Bay Drive, when he made a U-turn and was struck by a motorcycle, per SDPD.The motorcyclist, a 32-year-old man riding a 2008 Triumph motorcycle, was taken to the hospital with open fractures to both arms and other injuries, police said. His injuries are considered non-life-threatening while the driver of the Camry was not injured. Woman dead after cement bags fall from overturned truck on I-805 Police confirmed alcohol was not a factor in the crash.Eastbound West Mission Bay Drive, between Mission Boulevard to the Ingraham Street connector, was reopened after being closed for about an hour."Traffic remains heavily impacted in the Mission Bea...

Coronado Beach closure leads to protest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:45 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- As people head to the beaches this Memorial Day weekend, South Bay beaches are closed for the time being because of a sewage-contaminated leak.A group of people living in Coronado rallied to ask for more funding and attention to fix the issue."It's going to run people away, it's going to devastate the beach. It's a public health emergency," Laura Wilkinson Sinton said.The yellow signs are still out at Coronado Beach "KEEP OUT SEWAGE CONTAMINATED WATERS."The City of Coronado said the source of the sewage comes from Baja California.Now a group of people living in Coronado is demanding attention to the ongoing issue. The group wants county, state and federal leaders to listen up."Government all the way up and down to fix this binational problem because it can't sit like this for four to five years. OUR Navy seals train in this water, our children swim in this water. This is not acceptable," Wilkinson Sinton said.Residents worry about the health risks for them along with 3....