Ask Amy: Neighbors worry about financial fraud
Dear Worried: You should assume that -- no matter what -- your friend will not see the light. Nor should you trust him when he says he has a plan.
A group intervention would likely backfire and cause him to hide.
Each person he is indebted to should describe a reasonable plan for repayment, and attach a real consequence (possibly legal, definitely relational) if your friend doesn't get a handle on his problem. Each of you should urge him to attend Debtors Anonymous meetings (debtorsanonymous.org).
Dear Amy: Another anecdote about an older father being mistaken for a grandfather: My father was 57 when the youngest of my parents' 10 children was born.
One day, he had a group of us out at a park when a woman said, "Oh, it's so nice that you're out with your grandchildren for a picnic!"
My father said, "These are not my grandchildren, and believe me, this is no picnic!"
-- Nancy, in Columbia MD
Dear Nancy: With that many children, a quick wit is a necessity.
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(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
