Q. My parents are sending me to a therapist. My family doctor thinks it would help me with my social anxiety. I鈥檓 afraid to go. What if the therapist tells my parents what I say? I don鈥檛 want anyone to know what bothers me. Will my friends know? Will my teachers know? I really don鈥檛 want ...
When is the right age for sex? Q. When鈥檚 the right age to have sex? I鈥檓 going into high school in a few weeks, and I haven鈥檛 done it. Actually, I haven鈥檛 even kissed someone. I鈥檓 pretty sure I鈥檓 not ready for sex 鈥� the thought gives me equal amounts of excitement and anxiety. My ...
Q. Tell me how to set boundaries and keep them. I have trouble saying no to friends, for one thing. I also can鈥檛 seem to keep my mouth shut 鈥� I overshare in person and online. Finally, I put up with being put down by friends. They say it鈥檚 all a joke, but it doesn鈥檛 feel funny to me. I ...
Q. Is it possible to re-invent myself in high school? I鈥檓 excited about leaving middle school 鈥� it sucked. I couldn鈥檛 find friends. I鈥檓 a writer and a poet at heart. I hope to hide those facets of my personality going forward, so I鈥檓 not made fun of so much. If no one knows me as I ...
My column about middle school friendships hit home with many readers. Here are two responses. Response 1: I read your column on Thursday with a great deal of interest and a little bit of flashback. I鈥檓 in my early 40s and a parent of two elementary school girls. When I read the question from ...
Q. I just finished a week at a Leadership camp. One of the things I enjoyed the most was Open Talk time. The camp counselor posed a question, and we all responded. It鈥檚 the kind of thing you always do. I鈥檇 love to hear your responses to two of my favorite ones. First, if you could have one ...
