Dear Abby: I tried to fuzz my résumé, but I’m still striking out with employers

DEAR ABBY I am approaching retirement age and although I would like to start a second career I am discovering that no one wants to hire Grandma Related Articles Dear Abby Other friends tell us not to invite them if the Smiths will be there Dear Abby My pregnant sister-in-law blew up at my parents for a ridiculous reason Dear Abby My new husband gives me a month It s not enough Dear Abby I tried an experiment with my in-laws The aftermath was distressing Dear Abby I m tempted to tell her partners wives what s going on I am trying to break into the veterinary industry I have volunteered previously starting at the bottom while working a full-time job I was so distraught last week after another failed interview that I threatened to give away my scrubs and deleted the job vacancy announcements from my email account I cannot speak directly to prospective employers because everything is done by computer these days and the computer is very specific in what it will take I deleted work dates on my r sum but one company I interviewed with specifically demanded me about them I am at my wits end Is youth really what they are after ASPIRING WORKER DEAR WORKER In a few cases younger workers have an advantage over older ones because of ageist hiring practices If you had a good relationship with the staff at the veterinary practice you volunteered with consider discussing your trouble with them and ask if they can offer any insight It might also be worth your while to contact your county department of senior services to ask for information about older adult employment opportunities You may not be able to get your dream job but you might be able to get something in a related field DEAR ABBY My parents had birthdays days apart and near a holiday About years ago they started a tradition of having an elaborate party near their birthdays My siblings and I were grown The guests were their friends and we were mostly bored out of our minds As we married and had kids we were invited to our own friends holiday parties but were made to feel extremely guilty if we tried to skip our parents party The older they got the more they expected us to set up cook and tear down Dad got sick a couple of years ago and the parties continued even though he could barely stay awake Now he has passed and Mom age still insists on keeping the party going Fewer guests are attending due to age-related issues Certain can no longer drive The obstacle is we siblings do all the work One sibling lives in another state and it s a long trip to come and work the whole time Their spouse also has vitality issues Related Articles Asking Eric Angry mom bars her son s girlfriend from his hospital room Harriette Cole My little sister can t wait for me to come home but I might not Miss Manners Things get awkward when friends tour my art studio Dear Abby Other friends tell us not to invite them if the Smiths will be there Asking Eric I know what I need to do after my girlfriend s behavior on the ATV outing My siblings and I feel we are done holding such a big event every year Definitely we re just done period How do we approach our mom about it DONE IN WASHINGTON DEAR DONE I assume that you and your siblings plan to do something with your aged mother on her special day Tell her via a group or in-person chat that you love her but the annual birthday bash cannot continue because it has become too much for you considering that you all have responsibilities to your own families As long as the occasion is celebrated it shouldn t matter how grand it is Because her crowd of friends has diminished perhaps lunch at a restaurant and a birthday cake would be manageable Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren also known as Jeanne Phillips and was founded by her mother Pauline Phillips Contact Dear Abby at www DearAbby com or P O Box Los Angeles CA