Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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GEORGIA, I have a question. My wife and I recently (silently) changed our son’s name after my brother and sister-in-law (SIL) gave their son (our nephew) the name, too. They are now mad at us - but is it any of their business? My wife and I had our son four months ago. We had a name chosen early in her pregnancy. We kept that name to ourselves, but my SIL found it out when she was still pregnant with my nephew (almost 7 months old). She never said how; she just told us she loved the name, congratulated us, and said they couldn’t wait to meet hi...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I (27F) got pregnant unexpectedly after a short relationship. The father isn’t involved, but I decided to keep the baby. My family has been supportive - except for my older sister (34F), who has been struggling with infertility for years. From the moment she found out I was pregnant, she kept making comments like, “It’s not fair that you get to be a mom when you’re not even married.” She even suggested multiple times that I let her and her husband adopt my baby since they’re “better equipped” to raise a child....
GEORGIA, I have a question, My father-in-law has breakfast every Saturday morning at the same restaurant. He arrives at 6 AM when they open and usually stays until 8:30. His kids and grandchildren drop in and out; most do not stay the whole time, and they either pay their checks on the way out or leave him cash to cover their bill, which he pays before he leaves. Last Saturday, my family and I went late, barely catching him. They headed home while I went ot the counter to pay the check. It was $171! I immediately asked for an itemized receipt,...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My husband’s stepmother passed recently after a long illness, and her children specifically wanted our family, including our 2-year-old, to be at her service. When we arrived at the church, I tried to sit in the back pew to take her out when she was antsy, but they put us in front with the rest of the family. Predictably, we lasted only about 30 minutes before my daughter started being disruptive. I took her out to the vestibule where she had a tantrum, so I then took her down into the basement playroom. I...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I need to know if what I did was so very wrong, as my sister swears it is. My sister (25F) has a four-month-old baby, and I (28F) have a six-month-old. We’re really close, and she asked me to watch her baby overnight. She dropped her off with pumped milk and bottles, letting me know she had never tried giving her a bottle before, but believed it “should be fine.” Then she left, traveling over 300 miles away. A few hours in, her baby got hungry. I warmed the milk and tried feeding her from the bottle, but no matte...
Georgia, I have a question, I’m a 64-year-old mother of three, and all my kids are married. My youngest son and his wife, Jenny, are struggling with infertility and don’t have children yet. My other son’s wife is expecting next month, and my daughter recently had a baby boy, so I have one grandchild and another on the way. This year, Mother’s Day was busy for everyone, and they weren’t able to spend it with me, which I completely understand—they’re all starting their own families. Wanting to do something thoughtful, I sent Mother’s Day...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My friend tagged me in a radio station contest for four free tickets to a concert (because it said to tag a friend you would bring, not that that is binding or anything). I figured I’d enter, too, and tagged her in return. I ended up winning and was sent my four free tickets! My friend found out I won and is now asking for her half of the tickets. She suggested we could each pay for one ticket ($28) for ourselves and then use the two free ones for our kids (we each have two children) and make it a fun night out. I d...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I have five siblings, all over the age of 27. None are employed, and all are on government support or disability. Every Mother’s Day for the last 22 years, I have paid the bill for dinner for all of us, which is hundreds of dollars. I have paid because I am the only one with a stable income; I make a good, comfortable living, but I am not rich. This year, I am finally a mom. As a 38-year-old, I also don’t feel that it is still my responsibility to pay for all of my siblings. Yes, I can afford it, but it has now bec...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My daughter is away at college. Since she will stay in the city this summer for an internship, she asked me to send the rest of her things out of her bedroom. While doing this, I came across an item I was uncertain about what to do with. Way back in the corner on a high shelf in her closet, I found a shoebox that contained a....toy. I imagine she would be beyond embarrassed to know I discovered it (if my mother had found something like that in my room, I would have died!) Should I put it back and wait and see if she...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My son just told me his daughter, age 26, is getting breast enhancement surgery. How do I address that when I next see her, probably in several months? It’s not like commenting on a new hair color or hairdo. Old men commenting on female anatomy, particularly that part, are not looked at favorably, and I don’t want her to think her grandpa is creepy. As I see it, this goes in two ways: 1. She mentions it to me, though this is probably not likely to happen. So, since she got the surgery to make a visible dif...
GEORGIA, I have a question, When my son Liam (17M) was born, I started saving for his college education. I wasn’t rich, but I saved a little each month so he wouldn’t struggle when ready. Over the years, I would joke with him, telling him, “If you don’t go to college, I’ll spend this on a trip to Europe to drink the best beer in the world.” He always laughed, rolling his eyes, knowing I was only half serious. Tragically, Liam passed away in an accident just before his 18th birthday. The pain was unbearable. His mother (my ex-wife) and I were...
GEORGIA, I have a question, In this case, can two wrongs make a right? I (29F) and my husband (30M) are expecting our first baby. We announced it at my brother’s wedding. And now, half the family is furious with us. Before you judge me, let me tell you the whole story. Two years ago, when we got married, it was one of the happiest days of my life... until my brother decided to steal the spotlight. During the reception, in the middle of his toast, he got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend in front of everyone. The crowd went wild, p...
Georgia, I have a question, Last weekend, my 16-year-old son went thrifting with his friends. He found the score of all scores (in his mind, at least) - a signed Mr. Beast T-shirt, sized large, with a signature and a doodle of a snake. One of his friends resells thrift finds and told him he could make $300 reselling the shirt. He brought it home and was so excited. Well...I washed it. He told me it was valuable, but I washed it anyway because it was from a thrift store. You can just barely make out the faded marks of what once was. He went...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I’m happy with my life - in my late 40s, successful in my profession, solid marriage, and two wonderful sons - until my younger sister enters the room. She’s a surgeon married to another doctor; they have boatloads of money, run marathons for charity, and have the world’s most polite teen. She’s the kind of person who took up painting as a hobby, then won a major competition a year later, got an agent, and booked a gallery show. She acts modest but seems clueless about how every family event turns into a Q&A and is t...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My mother taught me that when being toasted, one doesn’t take a sip, as that’s like tooting one’s own horn. When my spouse and I celebrated an anniversary with a party, the guests toasted us with champagne. When I didn’t sip, one of the guests asked me why, implying that my marriage wasn’t something I wanted celebrated. YIKES! My choices were to “correct” the guest—which I don’t feel is right, as they aren’t one of my children—or leave the impression that my marriage was less than toast-worthy. Neither option appeal...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I never wanted to be a father. After one too many scares in college, I got the snip. I didn’t tell my mother or sisters because, frankly, as much as it may upset them, our family name dying out doesn’t affect me - we aren’t the royals. Over the holidays, I messed around with a family friend's daughter several times. Yesterday, I was woken up by a furious phone call from my mother. The daughter claimed to be pregnant, and I was named as the father. My brain didn’t catch up to my mouth - I told my mom that was impossi...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My current partner has claimed since we started dating two years ago that bullying is his love language. Some days, I handle it well. Other days, it makes me feel very disconnected and unwanted. He enjoys taking jabs at me and has repeatedly claimed that this is what he saw between his parents, so it’s normal. I have pointed out to him that using his parents is not the greatest example of a marriage as both spouses cheated and his mother finally left his father after 20+ years of marriage, once the youngest of six ch...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I (21F) am in college and usually go home for the holidays to spend time with my dad (48M) and extended family. My parents divorced when I was 12, and I’ve always spent part of the holidays with each parent. My dad remarried early last year to “Lisa” (46F), and while we’re polite to each other, we’re not particularly close. This past year, I made plans months in advance to visit my mom’s side of the family for Christmas. I told my dad and Lisa early on, and both seemed fine with it. Fast forward to the second week...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I (25F) am the youngest of four; the rest of my siblings are all married, two of them have kids. I have one child with my ex and two with my fiance. My fiance (29m) is the oldest of three; his two sisters are not married and do not have kids. We have our wedding planned for July. Ever since we told his family, they have been planning nonstop. They literally have vision boards made up at their house, without my opinions or anything. My mother-in-law bought her dress already in a VERY light gold color. Whenever I see...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I work in a small office with just a few people. I get along with everyone and even feel like I’ve made lifelong friends there. However, my boss is terribly forgetful. So, it usually takes a while to get out of something at the office. We recently ran out of toilet paper. After a few times of asking my boss to get more, I broke down and brought my own, which I bring in and out of the bathroom when I need it. The other day, my coworker approached me and asked if they could use my toilet paper. I’m already annoyed by...
GEORGIA, I have a question, What if you attended a New Year’s Eve party with seven other families (about 30 people) running around, mostly male? The night goes excellent, and you leave at 12:15 AM after celebrating the beginning of a new year. At 1:05 AM, you get a text that there’s a hole in the wall; a photo accompanies the text and a request to ask your family about it. No one knows anything. This goes on and on into the next day. Finally, the host asks everyone in attendance to donate $25 to fix the hole since we don’t know who did it, t...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My five-year-old started kindergarten this year and has made many new friends. We recently invited one of these friends over for a playdate; in return, my daughter was invited to her friend’s father’s house (her parents are not together). When we take our daughter to a playdate with a new friend, we always go in with her and then stay long enough to ensure everything is good, meet the parents, etc. My partner took our daughter over to this playdate and reported that the apartment was “very messy” but that, after a...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My father-in-law was “just visiting” from Puerto Rico in mid-July. August came, then September, October, and November. In December, he finally told us that his wife (not my husband’s mother) had told him not to come home. So, we (my husband, four children, and I) invited him to stay with us. At first, we told him not to worry about rent because he is on a fixed income and disabled. We noticed he was sending a lot of money to his ex-wife, so we asked if he could help out with his toiletries to offset the burden of fo...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I treated a friend to lunch, but when we entered the restaurant, she mentioned that someplace else was better. I was taken aback and thought it was an unconscious slip, but this happened again with a different friend. What could I have said to indicate their comments were rude without offending them? LUNCH CHOICES Dear CHOICES, It is impolite to tell others that they are being rude, but perhaps you may accomplish this by making them feel foolish instead. Look concerned and ask, in a quiet voice, if they would prefer...
Georgia, I have a question, My fiance and I got engaged over Christmas. His brother got engaged over Thanksgiving. We were so happy because we are all good friends and thought going through the same phase of life together would be fun. They got their wedding venue immediately and booked for June 6, 2026. They did not ask us about the date before putting down a deposit or anything for the venue, nor did we expect them to. We had a conversation with them afterward, and we agreed we wouldn’t book for June 2026 out of courtesy to them, so both w...
