DEAR ABBY: I am a 38-year-old woman whohas been dating a 41-year-old man for sevenmonths. He’s wonderful and treats me magnifi-cently. We have similar values and interestsand are very much in love. Sadly, although Ihave always wanted children, he does not.

At my age, I have dated enough men toknow that I have found someonespecial. I realize my choice is ei-ther to stay in a relationship witha fabulous partner, knowing wewon’t have children, or end it,hoping I’ll find someone just aswonderful who wants kids.

Your advice in making thehardest decision of my life wouldbe greatly appreciated. — MATER-NAL IN NEW YORK

DEAR MATERNAL: I’ll try. Manywomen in their late 30s find thatconceiving a child is complicated,and it can also take longer thanthey thought. It has taken you 38years to find this exceptionalman, and it could take quite a bitof time to find another one who isso compatible.

Look at it this way: If you mar-ried “Mr. Wonderful” and learnedafterward that he couldn’t father achild, would you leave him? Insiston adopting? Or would you countthe many blessings you do havewith him and stay?

Many women are happily childless. How-ever, if you’re not one of them, you shouldtake your chances and move on — remember-ing that there are no guarantees.

———DEAR ABBY: I work on a busy street in San

Francisco where smokers walk around puffingall day while ignoring those around them.Don’t you think they should be considerateenough to smoke at designated areas only andnot while walking with their secondhandsmoke billowing around other pedestrians?

I have seen pregnant women and childreninundated by the smoke as these puffers strollby with no regard. We nonsmokers would ap-preciate their courtesy for others because wedon’t want to inhale what they’re smoking.Can you comment? — HATES THAT HABIT

DEAR HATES THAT HABIT: I hate it, too,

but unless there is an ordinance in your citythat prohibits smoking on certain sidewalks, Ithink it’s unrealistic to expect smokers who in-hale not to exhale.

———DEAR READERS: Years ago, a young mother

in Arlington, Va., wrote my mother about abook she had received that prom-ised to help parents prepare theirchildren for school by expandingtheir vocabulary. The “secret”?Reading to them while they aresmall.

Children learn words by hear-ing them spoken in context — themore they hear, the more they ab-sorb. Like everything else, readingis something people will do moreof if they enjoy it. When a parentreads to a child, the child associ-ates reading with pleasure.

“The Read-Aloud Handbook”by Jim Trelease became a hugebest-seller when it was published.Penguin Books called it one of the75 most important books it haspublished in its history. The bookis now in its seventh — and LAST— edition and has been com-pletely revised and updated. Ifyou’re a parent who wants yourchild to succeed, a grandparent,or someone contemplating be-

coming a parent in the future, pick up a copy. The first half is filled with the latest re-

search on the importance of literacy for chil-dren’s success; the rest lists book titles andages of the youngsters for which they’re in-tended. To learn more about the author, visitwww.trelease-on-reading.com. To order thebook, go to www.penguin.com. — Love, ABBY

———Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite

recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s FavoriteRecipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by DearAbby.” Send your name and mailing address,plus check or money order for $14 (U.S. funds)to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447,Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping andhandling are included in the price.)

ZITS | JERRY SCOTT AND JIM BORGMAN

FAMILY CIRCUS | BIL KEANE

GARFIELD | JIM DAVIS

PEANUTS | CHARLES M. SCHULZ

BLONDIE | YOUNG & DRAKE

THE BORN LOSER | ART SANSOM

HI AND LOIS | BRIAN AND GREG WALKER

BEETLE BAILEY | MORT WALKER

FRANK AND ERNEST | BOB THAVES

BIZARRO | DAN PIRARO

DICK TRACY | JOE STATON AND MIKE CURTIS

BABY BLUES | RICK KIRKMAN AND JERRY SCOTT

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM | MIKE PETERS FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE | LYNN JOHNSTON

A baby born today has a Sun and Moon inSagittarius if born before 10:43 p.m. (PST). After-ward, the Moon will be in Capricorn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR TUESDAY, DEC. 3, 2013:

This year you have many new opportunitiesthat stem from your increased interest and energy.Creativity whirls around you, which draws manypeople to you. In the excitement of the moment,you easily could become me-oriented. Don’t allowthat to happen. If you are single, many people ex-press an interest in getting to know you better. Theperson you choose will need to be very indulgent,as so much is going on. If you are attached, yoursignificant other often takes a back seat this year.Be careful, as the ramifications could be difficult tohandle. Make this relationship a high priority.CAPRICORN helps you make money.

The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19)

HHH Keep reaching out to someone you careabout. This person has many diverse ideas andalso can play devil’s advocate far more easily thanyou might think. Pressure builds. If you run into adifficult associate or a frustrating situation, youeasily could get angry. Tonight: Rent a movie.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20)

HHHH Deal with a partner directly. You mightfeel as if he or she is blocking many of your ideas.Resist getting confrontational; however, do nothesitate to support yourself and your decision ifsomeone starts questioning you. Tonight: Talk overdinner, then choose a favorite escape.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20)

HHHH Others give you their opinion of thisand that. Be polite, even if you don’t agree. Youcould decide to play devil’s advocate, but what willbe the cost? Maintain a sense of humor. A matterinvolving your home could trigger you. Tonight: Befriendly.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22)

HHH You’ll dive into a project without hesita-tion. You might not like the manner in which certainquestions are being asked. Say so and get downto the real issue. Until that point, concentrate onone item at a time. Tonight: First relax, then decide.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22)

HHHH Use your energy and intellect to makea point. Someone would be hard pressed to con-

tradict you, especially with your commanding style.You tend to see matters from a different point ofview, and you have more information as a result.Tonight: Touch base with a loved one.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22)

HHHH Listen to your inner voice and be di-rect with your feelings. A family member could beirritable. An issue involving your domestic life couldarise. Check all the information given and evaluatepossible solutions. Take a walk if you’re feelingcranky. Tonight: Be creative.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22)

HHHH You are likely to say what you think.Fortunately, you have the gift of choosing the rightwords in order to avoid insulting someone. How-ever, one person whom you deal with reads you alittle too clearly for your taste. Be careful. Tonight:Get some extra R and R.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21)

HHH You might be more aware of your fi-nances than most others are. You will want to ver-ify some facts that revolve around this issue. Holdout as long as you can, but know that pressurefrom others won’t allow you to go too long. Tonight:Check your email and return calls.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21)

HHHH You would be on cruise control if youweren’t continually bumping heads with a higher-up. This person has a lot of frustration and angerthat, unfortunately, might be directed at you. Youcan deflect only so much. Tonight: Try to avoidsharp words. Indulge yourself a little.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19)

HH You might keep hearing information thatnormally would get you going or acting on it; how-ever, right now you are digesting everything youare being told and attempting to sort fact from fic-tion. Trust in your abilities. Tonight: You feel betteras the night goes on.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18)

HHHH Focus on a meeting if you are at work.If you are free, friends will play a significant role inwhat happens. In your enthusiasm, you might for-get about a partner. Do not let this happen if youreally want to make the most out of the moment.Tonight: Join friends first.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20)

HHH You could feel pressured by others’ de-mands. You will want to make a change, but youmight feel somewhat inhibited. A partner has beenunusually difficult as of late. You might want to playthe waiting game rather than provoke his or herire. Tonight: Make plans with friends.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bigar’s Stars is based onthe degree of your sun at birth. The sign name issimply a label astrologers put on a set of degreesfor convenience. For best results, readers shouldrefer to the dates following each sign.

———

© 2013, King Feature Syndicate

J AC Q U E L I N E B I G A R ’ S S TA R S

Woman Saddened By WonderfulPartner Who Doesn’t Want Kids

© 2013, Universal Press Syndicate

n Dear Abby is writtenby Abigail Van Buren,also known as JeannePhillips, and wasfounded by her mother,Pauline Phillips. WriteDear Abby atwww.DearAbby.com orP.O. Box 69440, Los An-geles, CA 90069.

DEAR ABBYJeanne Phillips

Tuesday, 12.3.13ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net

NEWSROOM: News@yankton.netPRESS DAKOTANP A G E 6

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