Q. I recently went to my first funeral. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. The rituals seemed bizarre to me. Everyone stood around. Most people filed past the immediate family offering condolences. I mumbled something and got away from the casket as fast as I could. Is there such a thing ...
Q. I’m turning to you for parenting wisdom as I once turned to you for guidance as a teen! My little girl is 9 and she got her first sleepover invitation. Obviously, she wants to go, but I’m anxious. When I was a kid, everyone I knew went to sleepovers and no one seemed to worry about them. ...
Q. I don’t know if you remember me, but I remember you. I often hung out after class when I was in high school or skipped lunch with other teens just to stay and chat. You always brought food for us. I would joke I came for the snacks, but the truth is I craved the stability you brought me. ...
Q. There’s a new guy in school. I am so attracted to him, but so is everyone else. He’s all anyone can talk about. He keeps to himself. We don’t know much about him except he’s from out of state. He plays basketball and he’s good, he’s in one of my AP classes, and the teachers seem ...
Q. After enduring 18 months of begging, I finally broke down and got my 13-year-old a phone for Christmas. Can you give me insights on how to parent with a cell phone? I had you in high school and you gave me wise advice (please don’t feel old). My daughter is a good kid. I just want to do ...
Every year since I began writing this column (2005), I dedicate the week prior to the new year to messages from young people. This year, some teens from our Common Ground Teen Center share their hopes for 2024: My hope/resolution for 2024 is: I want to fix my mom. Anonymous, 14 To ...
