Just Ask Georgia: 1/15/2025

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 food, to which he agreed.

At the end of December, he had a stroke, disabling him more; he needs round-the-clock care as he can’t be left alone due to falls from MS and the stroke. My husband and I now get paid to take care of him. He now believes that since the state is paying us to care for him, he shouldn’t have to give us any contributions towards the house.

Am I really in the wrong if I ask him to continue to pay for toiletries and his food now that the state pays us to care for him?

PAID FOR CARE

Dear CARE,

Family issues are such a touchy topic - especially when it involves caring for a loved one. However, I feel you are handling this correctly.

You are being paid for his care 24/7; you are not being paid to cover his expenses - food, toiletries, etc. If he has the expendable income to send money to his ex-wife, he should rethink that decision and begin funneling that income to you and his son.

With love, GEORGIA

GEORGIA, I have a question,

A work friend was teaching me how to play golf. After a few months of lessons, I was transferred to a different position across the country. As a goodbye gift, my friend gave me her daughter’s golf clubs; she said her daughter had left for college several years before without them, and my friend didn’t want to see them go to waste.

I was shocked and asked her if she was sure - she assured me and encouraged me to continue to learn at my new location.

A couple of years passed, and we lost touch with one another as I live on the other side of the country. It’s been almost five years, and suddenly, she reaches out - she wants the golf clubs back. What should I do?

GOLFING CONUNDRUM

Dear CONUNDRUM,

Let’s recap: these clubs sat unused at your friend’s house for several years before you were gifted with them. Now, five years later, she wants them back? How does she even know if you still have them? Talk about having gall.

My guess is her daughter went digging in the attic or garage to find them and was upset with her mother when she was told they had been given away. However, that does not give her the right to contact you out of the blue and ask for them back. Did she even ask how you were doing after five years of no contact? I say, tell her you upgraded as you continued to learn the game and that the golf clubs were paid forward. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked for that person’s contact info as well to ask for them back.

With love, GEORGIA

Have a question for Georgia? Email her at whledger@gmail.com. Please note: this column is just for fun. No person, animal, or property has ever been harmed or in danger. Satire is “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.”