DEAR ANNIE: Helping in-laws would also be helping yourself

DEAR ANNIE: I am 17, married, with a 1-year-old daughter. I am doing amazingly well for a teen mom. My husband and I have a house and car, I'm finishing school, and we are both working.

Before we moved into our house, we lived with my husband's father and brother. When my brother-in-law expressed interest in getting a dog, I told him that wouldn't be possible because my daughter is allergic. He became furious and attacked me with a knife. I left the house with my daughter and stayed with my mom until we found our current place.

But recently, my father-in-law's electricity was shut off and they ended up homeless. So my husband and I decided to let the two of them stay with us until they can get back on their feet. We asked them to pay $150 toward rent and insisted that there be no smoking in the house or near my child or me.

I recently discovered that my brother-in-law is smoking pot regularly at school. I told his father that if I drug test him and it comes out positive, they are gone. But, Annie, it went in one ear and out the other.

I am so frustrated. I want my brother-in-law out of the house now, and no one is listening to me. I don't know what to do. -- Trying to be the Grown-Up

DEAR TRYING: Where is your husband in all this? He should be supportive of your position. Both of you should be helping your in-laws move into their own place as soon as possible. Do they need assistance finding jobs? Finding affordable housing? Give them a hand with those issues and you will also be helping yourself.

DEAR ANNIE: I taught first grade for 20 years. At the beginning of each school year, after the kids were settled into our classroom, I would have them sit in front of me as they would for story time. I would tell them that I was going to do something that they would NEVER see me do again. Then I would pick my nose.

I would then say, "It doesn't look any better when you do it." Then we would talk a little about it and how they could handle this problem, if necessary, in private. After that, I would get up and thoroughly wash my hands.

Not a single first-grader ever picked his or her nose in front of me. I always hoped it carried over into the rest of their lives. -- Retired Teacher

DEAR TEACHER: This technique might not work today, when any parent passing by your classroom might lodge a complaint. But most people who pick their noses would be appalled to see themselves the way others do.

To write to Annie's Mailbox, send to c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 Third St., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "DEAR ANNIE: Helping in-laws would also be helping yourself ."