Happily Ever Laughter
Chatrooms, driving, and baldness
By: Yakov Smirnoff | Source: AARP The Magazine | Date Posted:
Happily Ever Laughter
Columnist Yakov Smirnoff dishes out homespun advice and reminds us to live Happily Ever Laughter. Submit your family or relationship question to him here.
Q: My husband chats on the Internet for hours at a time, and it hurts my feelings. So far it just looks friendly, and he spends as much time chatting with men as with women, but I hate it. How can I get him to stop? —Hurt
A: Well, the simple solution would be to direct your husband to his new chatroom—out in the doghouse. But that would not solve the problem. People go to chatrooms because they want their voices to be heard. It’s kind of like being a performer. Could it be that he is getting more applause from his chatroom pals than from you? Ask yourself: When was the last time you gave him the big “O”? Relax—I mean an “ovation” for his performance as a husband?
Be on the lookout for chances to legitimately give him praise (within reason: praising him for taking out the garbage will make him suspect that you’re up to something).
Ask if you can join in his chatrooms yourself. You’ll have an opportunity to get to know the other participants. Of course, talk to your husband about your feelings of neglect. Ask if he can think of any ways to bring you closer and to ease your feelings of mistrust. You might be surprised at how imaginative he can be. After all, no performer wants to lose the best audience he’s ever had!
Q: My dad is 80, and I’m worried about him. He never was very good behind the wheel, and he’s getting worse. I’d like to get him to give up his car keys, but how can I persuade him without making him feel like a child? —Reluctant Key Master
A: I had the same problem with my dad . I noticed that he always left his left blinker on. I called it “the eventual left turn.”
Your father needs to know you are concerned, but you can’t approach him like Donald Trump and just say “You’re fired!” If you’re going to make the suggestion, you have to help ease the transition. That means taking the responsibility of driving him around (or, if you’re far away, finding a reliable, loving person to do it). It may also help if you check with a nearby senior center for information about ride programs and public-transportation discounts. This really could be a win-win situation for you both. He would enjoy the company, and you won’t have to worry. Remind him that he can still be the driver. It will just be from the back seat.
Q: I’m not a bad-looking guy, but people keep making fun of my bald head. It’s driving me crazy. —Mr. Clean
A: You came to the right place, Mister. Tell them “I had a sudden growth spurt, and now I’m taller than my hair.” Or “I just have a very wide part.”
And who cares what others think? What’s important is that when you look in the mirror, you like the person looking back at you.
Yakov Smirnoff, known to millions for his TV, film, and stage appearances, earned his master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He conducts “Love and Laughter” seminars nationwide and at his theater in Branson, Missouri.




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