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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Come to wedding – to babysit for me

Kathy Mitchell

Dear Annie: Last week, I received a fancy wedding invitation. The next day, the bride emailed, saying she hoped I could attend and is looking forward to seeing me at the wedding. Then she added that she hopes I don’t mind watching all the kids at the ceremony and reception.

The bride is in great shape financially. Is it to be expected in this economy that one could be invited to a wedding only to provide a service? How should I respond? – Kentucky

Dear Kentucky: Even if you babysit for a living, the bride was terribly rude to invite you with the assumption that you should take on this responsibility. You have four choices: You can say yes to her proposition. You can say yes, but quote your fee for babysitting or tell her that it will be your wedding gift. You can turn down the invitation. You can accept the invitation, but tell the bride that you are not available to babysit – in which case, please couch it in language that says you wouldn’t want to miss a moment because you were distracted by children.

Dear Annie: I agree with Judy Hou, who is trying to get readers involved with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

We were taught in pharmacy law class that certain medications are classified by their potential for abuse and risk of dependence. Schedule 1 drugs have a high potential for abuse, have no currently accepted medicinal use and lack safety information. Drugs in this category include heroin and LSD. Schedules 2-5 also have potential for abuse and dependence, but have accepted medicinal uses. These include Oxycontin, Percocet and Valium.

I believe that nicotine should be included as a Schedule 1 substance. Unfortunately, politics will prevent this from happening, and we will have to continue to encourage our youth to make intelligent decisions regarding cigarettes, drug and alcohol use. – A Florida Pharmacist