Category Archives for "Parenting"

0 The Correct Age for First Boyfriend and Girlfriend

Courtney asks: At what age should you have a boyfriend?

Ah, Courtney, this is a very dicey question!  There are two terms that must be defined here – “Age” and “Boyfriend.”

Now I had my first boyfriend when I was about six months old.  I met Kuma at the dog park, and we fell madly in love and would beat the living daylights out of each other every chance we got.  But of course a six-month-old puppy is very different in maturity from a six-month-old human!  If Kuma had done to a baby what he did to me, the police would have Continue reading

1 Should a 14-year-old girl date a 17-year-old boy.

afrakoma prisca asks: I am a girl of 14 years (I turn 15 in October), and I have a date with a 17-year-old. Because people are jealous of us, they always want a separation between us, so they always report me to my mother and also lie. What should I do? Should I leave that person or continue with him?

Hi afrakoma prisca:

I’m sorry you’re going through such a tough experience.  There are a few issues here that I think are really important.

First, three years is a long time when you’re 14.  So this boy is a lot older than you.  Now when you’re 24 and he’s 27, that’ll feel totally normal.  But for right now, I’m not going to say you shouldn’t see him, but it’s awfully important that you make sure that he Continue reading

3 Natural Beauty Tips for Teenagers

CaNdAcE asks: Do you have any ‘natural’ beauty tips for teenagers?

Hi CaNdAcE –

I’m so glad you asked me about natural beauty tips.  Because I have to be honest with you – as a dog, I don’t know anything about the artificial ones.  I know some dogs do – Poodles with their curls all coifed into fancy balls, Malteses with ribbons in their fancy-cut hair.  That is not me!  I mean, I can’t even stand it if the shampoo Handsome uses when he bathes me has any scent to it – this is NOT ME AT ALL!

Now of course there are things that I think make me beautiful, like rolling in certain substances that Handsome isn’t very happy with (Have you ever walked behind a Continue reading

6 What to do when you have your first period.

Breanna asks: I’m 9 and I have had my first period, and I don’t know what to do.

Hi Breanna –

Well I think the first thing to say is Congratulations.  (I never went through one; I had an operation when I was six months old that kept me from having puppies or developing in the way you have, so I’m impressed!)  This is a big event for a young girl, and it’s totally normal for it to be a little scary.  So I’m really glad you wrote me about it.

But the first thing to know is – there is absolutely nothing to be scared about!  This is part of growing up, and while people don’t talk about it a lot in public, it’s absolutely normal.

The second thing, though, is that, because this is so important, it’s absolutely necessary that you talk to an adult about it.  Do you have a good relationship with your mother or another female caregiver, so that you could tell her?  Or maybe a teacher or nurse at school?  That’d be the best first thing to do.  Then, you should definitely see a doctor, just to make sure everything is working as it should.

But once you’ve done those, you’re basically in the clear.  Of course you’ll have to deal with it every month, but that’s just like nearly every other woman.  Wait, what’s that word I just said?  Yes: What’s big and exciting is that this is really the beginning of you becoming a woman!

So what’s important, just as important as getting checked out by a doctor, is that you begin to deal with what becoming a woman means.  Your body will have lots of other changes soon, and you’ll get looked at in different ways.  So it’s your job to do two things from now on:  To hold on to what makes you a great kid, and to start to think about the sort of woman you want to become.

This is your experience, Breanna.  And while it makes sense that you don’t want to go around talking about it with everyone, it really does make you part of the world community.  So be proud and enjoy it.
But please, please, do talk to some adults and see a doctor.  Just to make sure you’re okay!

Thanks, and again, Congratulations!

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

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

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 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

0 How to Support the Younger Generation to Shape Their Future

Fabeenajeeb asks: In what way we can support our younger generation to shape their future?

Ah, Fabeenajeeb, you are a human after my own heart! This whole website is devoted to just that! All I’m here for is to support the younger generation (of humans!) to shape their future. So if you ask what you can do to help that, my first answer is: tell them to join and read AskShirelle.com!

But what else can you do? Wow, there are thousands of things. But here are a few off the top of my furry head:

1) Provide a Full Education. Kids notoriously avoid doing their schoolwork… until they find something that really interests Continue reading