Dear Blake,

I am 55 and recently started dating “Paul,” a 54-year-old man. His 26-year-old daughter, “Andrea,” lives with him. My problem is, she invites herself along on our weekend getaways, small trips, etc. He tells me he knows it’s a problem. Andrea is a college graduate working for her dad’s company, but she has no outside interests and no social skills. Paul doesn’t know what to do. He knows he enables her to a certain extent. Other than this issue, our relationship is wonderful. Please help.

Signed, Holly
From Louisville, Kentucky

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Dear Holly,

It sounds like Paul’s daughter is not giving you and him any alone time. The only thing I can suggest, is for you to start doing things with Paul that will cause that thick-headed irritating pest to want to stay at home. Here are some suggestions. Tell his daughter that you and Paul are going to watch an autopsy at the city morgue and invite her along, and add that this time you hope the person is dead before the knifing starts to eliminate the ear piercing screams. Or, you can tell her that you and Paul are taking up sword swallowing classes, and if she comes she has to participate… or she’ll be forced to participate, and hopefully she won’t get her throat slashed from the inside out. Or, this might work. Tell her that you and Paul want to explore their city’s history from underground, and if she wants to tag along, she better not complain about having to walk barefoot in the local sewers. But maybe what she really needs is a man in her life. So try to convince her that there are a lot of single men in Canada, and then encourage her to leave the country. I have no idea what she looks like, but men in Canada are obsessed with hockey, so she has a better chance of blending in if she has some of her front teeth knocked out. I hope this helps.

Blake