JOHN

What do you think of the DirecTV commericals with the marionettes to promote its wireless equipment?

I grew up with my parents and a younger sister. I am 39 years old and my sister is 34. I have never married and I have no children. My sister is married, has a daughter from a previous relationship and a has a daughter with her husband. Both of our parents are still living and we all live in the same area.

I am having a tough time connecting with my brother-in-law as I do not know how to relate to him. He and I seem to be opposites as he is former Army and tends to take control of everything. I see some friction between him and my parents but they seem to be okay with his control issues.

What bothers me is that my parents seem to be taking so well to my brother-in-law that I feel like they are replacing me as their son. I notice this at family gatherings where my mother is very affectionate to him and seems to treat me like an afterthought as of late.

We have a family trip coming soon and I am not sure if I want to drive over 800 miles with them or if I want to strike out on my own and drive in my own vehicle. In my opinion, it would make more sense to drive solo than be the fifth wheel with parents who seem to have forgotten me.

What do I do about connecting with my brother-in-law? Should I take my own car on my trip to see my out-of-town relatives?

I have managed to avoid family gatherings of my aunts, uncles and cousins on one side of my family because they are way ahead of me on the family thing. They have bonded in ways that I am unable to relate and feel like I get pressure from them to start a family that I am not ready for. I made a commitment this year to visit with them in August, so I would like to know how other single people in this situation handled similar situations.

If I am the supervisor of a married male and a married female technician who work closely together in my company (They are not married to each other, but to different people), and I have received complaints from their co-workers (anonymously) that allege that the technicians are having an affair, what should I do about it? It is normal for them to work together in various parts of the building - especially in closed quarters. These complainers claim that the two technicians are screwing on the job but are unwilling to reveal their identities. What am I obligated to do? Should I inform the technicians of these rumors or should I hold off until there is more evidence than just office gossip?

It creeps me out to see parents who take their child to see Santa Claus. Even though the baby or child is having a nervous breakdown, the parents continue to force the issue on their kid. It appears to me that the parents are not very considerate of their child's screaming and crying for the sake of a photo op to please friends and family. Is it worth all of the trauma and hassle for the kid?

I do not understand how girls and/or women want to be sexually active but do not take the next rational step and take control of their reproductive systems. It is one thing to have a fling but completely another to have a child and create a lifetime of responsibility if the mother is not ready for that.