{"id":7474,"date":"2026-08-22T08:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T08:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7474"},"modified":"2026-08-22T08:06:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T08:06:04","slug":"dear-abby-the-way-my-boyfriends-little-girl-talks-annoys-the-heck-out-of-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7474","title":{"rendered":"Dear Abby: The way my boyfriend’s little girl talks annoys the heck out of me"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DEAR ABBY:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been seeing \u201cBrad\u201d for nine months. We each have children \u2014 I have a son who\u2019s 7, and Brad has a daughter who\u2019s a few months older.<\/p>\n

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I can see myself having a family with Brad.<\/p>\n

However, one of my biggest pet peeves is when children use baby talk. Brad\u2019s daughter seems to be doing it more and more, and it\u2019s driving me crazy! My son doesn\u2019t talk like that, and when he has, I\u2019ve corrected the situation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just because it\u2019s Brad\u2019s daughter; I would feel this way with any other kid who spoke like this.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think Brad notices. I have tried addressing it with his daughter by telling her that big girls don\u2019t talk that way, but it has been futile.<\/p>\n

I feel the need to bring this up with Brad, but I\u2019m afraid my reason is not valid. I don\u2019t want to tell him, \u201cHave her stop because she\u2019s annoying the heck out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brad has addressed some things with my son, and I\u2019ve been OK with it. I think we can speak openly about our concerns in regard to each other\u2019s children. I need help with wording my dilemma without sounding like a harpy. Please help.<\/p>\n

\u2014 BEYOND ANNOYED<\/em><\/p>\n

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DEAR BEYOND ANNOYED:<\/strong> Brad\u2019s daughter uses baby talk because that is how the adults in her life have spoken to her. If they had used plain English instead, she wouldn\u2019t be speaking the way she does.<\/p>\n

I agree that you can\u2019t tell this man that what she\u2019s doing drives you up a wall. Instead, explain to him that if she does this around other children, she is likely to be teased for it and that it\u2019s time to teach her to speak properly.<\/p>\n

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You can\u2019t control what her mother does, but her father could be helpful in this situation once he recognizes that it may create problems for her.<\/p>\n

DEAR ABBY<\/strong>: I\u2019m an 82-year-old retired librarian, openly gay and a member of the Friends of the Library.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The Friends group I\u2019m active in is associated with a branch library I managed more than 50 years ago. The current branch manager is a gay man around 30 years of age. I see him at the meetings of Friends as well as when I visit the library for my own reading.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d be lying if I said I\u2019m not attracted to him, but I have no romantic designs, and there\u2019s no way he would think of me in those terms. I\u2019d like to invite him to lunch, as an act of friendship, but in view of my attraction to him (which he may be aware of), I\u2019m afraid it may seem a little creepy.<\/p>\n

Should I ask him to lunch or just try to put him out of my mind?<\/p>\n

\u2014 TORN IN TEXAS<\/em><\/p>\n

DEAR TORN:<\/strong> You may want to believe you \u201chave no romantic designs,\u201d but you\u2019re clearly open to the idea.<\/p>\n

Instead of a one-on-one lunch, why not invite him to a social gathering as part of a larger group? That will keep your overture friendly rather than romantic.<\/p>\n

As you get to know him better, if you find you still want more than friendship, either confess your feelings or take a step back to end the self-torture.<\/p>\n

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Contact Dear Abby at www.dearabby.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plus: I’m 82 and he’s about 30. 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