Category Archives for "Life Skills"

0 How to have a relationship that doesn’t include intimacy or sex.

Nana asks: I would like to know how we could maintain a healthy friendship devoid of any form of intimacy which could lead to sex.

Hi Nana –

I wish I knew who you meant by “we,” because there are a few different answers to your question.

First, if you’re talking about you and one special person, with whom you’d like to have a friendship without sex (the big word for a relationship like that is “Platonic”), the answer is… just do it!  If it’s what both of you want, you’ll be able to do it easily (It’s really easy to not have sex; I do it all the Continue reading

1 How to be romantic

Shrek asks: How can I be romantic to my girlfriend?

Hi Shrek –

Well, first I’d have you look at my answer to ChrisFoxx’s question about who is more romantic, women or men (you can find it in the category of Relationships).

As I explain there, it really depends on the girlfriend.  If you can find out what she likes, that’ll be the best way.  Maybe you can ask some friends of hers what she’s told them, or perhaps you can just listen really closely to see if she drops any hints.

But here are a few Continue reading

4 Do mothers love their children when they do wrong things.

Ashram asks: Do mothers love their children even if they do wrong things?

Oh Ashram, I can only imagine the responses mothers must be screaming when they read your question! But the answer is pretty simple, really.

There are different kinds of love we feel. You can love some things about someone and hate or fear other things about them at the same time. You can get so mad at someone that you don’t even like them at all, but still love Continue reading

1 What to do when you’re feeling suicidal.

Krishna asks: I have issues with my family and friends. I have been thinking about suicide. It’s been a while; the feeling gets stronger every passing day. What to do? I depend on people emotionally, but now its like all went away from me. I can’t find any answers to my questions and feelings, and I have no interest in life. Can you help?

Hi Krishna –

Krishna, I am so glad you chose to write me. I am honored. There’s a lot I could say here, but what you’re saying is so important and frightening, I want to cut straight to one simple issue: Safety.

First: I know you feel very alone. But I can promise you, with absolutely no question: you are not. Almost every person in the world has felt the way you Continue reading

0 Whether Men or Women are more romantic.

Chrisfoxx asks: Between men and women, who is the most romantic?

Chrisfoxx, I don’t know if you realize this, but this is TOTALLY a trick question! Romantic-ness is absolutely in the “eye of the beholder.” So what seems romantic to one person is the complete opposite for another.

There are people who think it’s romantic to get flowers. Other people who say “that’s so Continue reading

2 How shy people can approach their crushes

Harshita asks: I am really a nervous girl. I am feeling shy to ask even this question! If I love a guy, how will he know whether I love him or we are just friends?

Hi Harshita –

Well, first, I’d direct your attention to Sweetparker’s question about her confusion over two guys (it’s listed in Previous Questions, under Growing Up, Life Skills, Relationships, and School). I talk with her about ways to try to find out what a boy thinks of you.

But I want to throw a couple of other thoughts at you as well. First, know that there’s nothing wrong with being nervous and shy. Most boys think it’s really Continue reading

0 How to teach young children manners.

Jass asks: How can we teach 4-5 year-olds about manners?

Learning Manners is something I know a lot about, Jass. Like most puppies, I was very excitable and misbehaved a lot. So I’ve experienced Handsome teaching me right and wrong ways. Here’s what I can tell you:

1) The most important thing by far is what you do. I see grownups all the time who eat every meal in front of a TV, they use bad words all the time, and they ignore what others want. Then they’re shocked when their kids Continue reading

0 Should one comment on posted pictures.

giphtiee asks: Is it wrong for a girl to comment on a guy’s picture publicly?

Wow, how times change! There was a time not so long ago when this question would bring up images of people yelling at billboards or posters “Wow that guy’s cute!” or “Hey you’re too ugly to be up there!” Today, with the Internet, it’s all different though, isn’t it?

I’m not able to tell you it’s right or wrong to comment. But I do think there are two important things to remember, before you do. In fact, these are good to think about before you post anything on the Internet.

First, once you put a comment up, everyone in the world can Continue reading

0 Why there is war.

Samakbin asks: Why is there war in the world?

Well, Samakbin, people have been asking this question for centuries. And to a certain degree, we’ll never know the answer. But I do know a few things, and here they are.

First, there is war in the world because there are humans in the world. People are the only species that creates wars. Almost all animals have some sort of fighting that they do, whether to eat or to protect themselves at least. And the more intelligent a species is, the more Continue reading

0 How to handle an overprotective parent

Ioanna asks: My father lives in another country, because his job is there. So I live with my mother and my brother who is 2 years younger than me (I am 15 and he is 12). I don’t know how to make my mother trust me. Things my brother does now I couldn’t do two years ago — and not even now! When I go out with my friends, my mother asks about every single thing! Please help me!

Dear Ioanna:

The best and worst thing about me as an Advice-Giver is that I’m not a person. What I know about people is what I see by standing on the outside – watching neighbors walk by talking from my window, listening to phone conversations as I try to sleep, or staring attentively at Handsome’s dinner parties, paying a little attention to how the people deal with each other while I pay a lot more to any possibility of food falling onto the floor! (You know, spaghetti is especially good at falling off forks!)

So when I get a question like yours, I tend to answer in very broad terms, as if all families and mothers and daughters are alike. And of course they’re not! So please forgive me if I make a guess here, and it’s totally wrong!

Having said that, your problem is very common. You’re dealing with two typical human patterns.

First, when parents get their first baby, they really don’t know what they’re Continue reading