Teen is tasked with cooking Thanksgiving dinner-alone

Dear Abby
Dear Abby

Dear Abby: I am a 17-year-old girl and somewhat spoiled. My mother delivers breakfast in bed to me daily. My dad eats a burger for dinner, but Mom cooks a ribeye steak with a loaded baked potato for me.

I don't know how to cook, but Dad says I must cook a complete Thanksgiving dinner with no assistance! My smartphone will help, but do you have any ideas?-Worried About Turkeys

Dear Worried: Mastering the basics of cooking is an important skill you will need when you no longer live with your parents. Your father has the right idea, but he's going about it the wrong way. Expecting you to go from not knowing how to boil water to producing an entire Thanksgiving dinner without help is unrealistic to say the least.

You and your mother should prepare the dinner together, and she should guide you as you prepare one or two of the dishes. This will ensure that there will BE a home-cooked feast rather than a disaster after which your family will wind up in a restaurant.

 

Dear Abby: I am an adult student in my late 20s. I had multiple "jobs" and careers before I finally settled on teaching. Until I finish my degree, however, I am working in a customer service job to pay the bills. This, combined with my youthful appearance, has meant I must deal with people who assume I am a teenager and who treat me with disrespect.

My late grandmother always said that polite people should hold their tongues, so can you please inform your readers that because the person tending to their needs may look like "a kid," it's no excuse for saying things like, "I don't want to talk to some kid; where's your supervisor?" By the way, Abby, I AM the supervisor.-Older Than He Looks in Iowa

Dear Older: I'm pleased to remind them, but an appropriate response to the person demanding to see the supervisor would be, "I AM the supervisor. Now, how may I help you?"

 

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

 

To receive a collection of Abby's most memorable-and most frequently requested-poems and essays, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby-Keepers Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.

 

 Andrews McMeel Syndication

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