DEAR ABBY: My 9-year-old stepson, “Bryan,” is turning into a feminine little boy. He knows all about girly products and what is on sale at the mall. Bryan’s mother treats him like a baby. All they do at their house is sit around and watch TV. She has no friends, and neither does Bryan. He does not get involved with anything; he is exactly like his mother.

When Bryan is at our house, we try to get him involved in activities, but the boy is lazy and doesn’t want to participate. Then he tells his mother that his father yells at him. My husband does yell, but only to get Bryan off his butt to do something. The result is Bryan wants to spend very little time with us because of his mother’s constant babying. At our house, he has chores and we make him help with things. At her house, she does everything for him.

How can we make Bryan less feminine and involve him with friends and activities? – “WICKED” STEPMOM IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR STEPMOM: It is a parent’s job to help a child be the best that he (or she) can be. That does not mean the father remaking the child in his own image, and that may be what the boy is resisting. Bryan is not particularly “masculine,” and he’s not interested in what you and your husband are trying to force him into. Your insistence on trying to make him fit your mold may be what is driving him away.

Instead of yelling at him to get him “off his butt,” if you need his help with chores, say exactly that. (“Bryan, I need your help with something.”) And since he isn’t interested in the usual “boy things,” perhaps it’s time you and your husband expose the boy to art, music, dance, to see what does turn him on.

If none of the above does the trick, then some professional counseling for the three of you to establish a healthier level of communication is in order. You may be able to help Bryan be more social, but don’t count on changing the core of who he is.

DEAR ABBY: My wedding is scheduled for the fall of next year. My parents are paying for the whole thing. My problem is my grandmother. She has never shown any interest in me and doesn’t know me from a hole in the wall. She has been verbally abusive to my father throughout his entire life. She even told him once that he was a “mistake” and she didn’t even want to have him.

I do not want this woman at my wedding, but I know my father wants her there. My dad feels that since I am her only granddaughter, she should be present. I have nothing but anger toward her because of the way she has treated my father and her indifference toward me.

Who should decide whether the mean old bag will attend? Since my parents are paying, does my father get the final say? Oh, did I mention that my mother does not want Granny there, either? How should this be handled? – HATES GRANNY IN MARYLAND

DEAR H.G.: My advice is to be a lady and be gracious. Your father has his reasons for wanting his mother to come to the wedding. Please find it in your heart to grant his wish without giving him further heartburn. On your wedding day, you will be so busy with your wedding party and your husband, you’ll hardly even know the woman is there.



Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS, and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” To order, send a business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $5 (U.S. funds only) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)

Copy the Story Link