DEAR ABBY: I am a 46-year-old woman, about to be married for the second time. My fiance lives with me and my two children from my previous marriage.
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Other than cooking breakfast and some quick snacks, he does not contribute to the household. My issue is, I pay all the bills, and he complains about the temperature inside my home. My children and I need it to be cooler. If it's too hot, we sweat and become congested, which we hate, and it makes us irritable. I tell him to put on more clothes if he is cold, but he complains to the point that I turn off the fans and air.
My question is, don't I have a right to be comfortable in the home I pay for? He doesn't pay, so he should adjust to our climate. Right? -- HOT & FRUSTRATED IN VIRGINIA
DEAR HOT & FRUSTRATED: The answers to your questions are yes and yes. And your fiance -- not you -- should invest in a portable heater, which may solve his problem.
P.S. Are you absolutely sure you want to be married to this prize? Nowhere in your letter did you say you love this person. Not once did you mention his endearing qualities. Frankly, from your description, he seems like a third child.