Dear Abby: Ex buys booze for underage daughter

Dear Abby: I have a 16-year-old stepdaughter, 'Candy.' My wife recently discovered three bottles of liquor in the car Candy drives. When confronted, she told my wife the booze was for an upcoming party. We grounded her.

My wife called her ex-husband to tell him their daughter is grounded and he would have to pick her up on his visitation weekend, as she won't be driving. He then informed my wife HE was the one who bought her the booze! I'm dumbfounded and don't know how to handle this. Please advise.

— Shocked in Houston

Dear Shocked: Candy is only 16, so she can be forgiven her lapse in judgment. Her father is old enough to know better than to hand over bottles of alcohol to his minor child. In the state of Texas, he has violated the law. The legal age for consumption or POSSESSION of alcohol is 21, with few exceptions. If you are smart, you will stay out of it. Your wife and her ex should discuss this and reach an agreement about how this will be handled in the future.

___

Dear Abby: When we go to church with our daughters, ages 9 and 11, we are greeted at the door by an usher in his 70s. He has told our 9-year-old several times that he's going to marry her when she grows up. She doesn't know what to say. My husband and I don't like it. What should we do?

— Dumbstruck in the East

Dear Dumbstruck: Tell the usher privately that his comment is not appreciated. Discuss it with the minister afterward, if necessary. Your daughter is a nice girl, but I wouldn't blame her if she told him, 'If you're still alive and breathing by the time I'm grown up, I'll consider it.'