Category Archives for "Scary Stuff"

3 How to find a safe chat room

Shantal asks: Where can I find a safe chat room for teens like me?

Hi Shantal –

Chat rooms can be a really fun thing – a way to connect with and talk to new people, from the safety and comfort of your own home or computer.  They can also be a dangerous way for creepy people to find children and teens so they can do bad things to them.

There’s no way of knowing if a chat room is perfectly safe.  Anyone can get in there.  So your job is to make sure you’re safe, no matter Continue reading

0 Should we be concerned about December 12, 2012?

gaga asks: What may be the effects of the solar cycle 24 starting on December 21, 2012, in our social life?

Hi gaga –

There seems to be some confusion here.  Solar Cycle 24 is a period of sunspot activity, and began in 2008.  It’s expected to peak in 2013 when we have over 90 sunspots.

The thing about 12-21-12 is a belief that, well, the world is going to come to an Continue reading

0 What to do about asthma?

shortiee asks: If I have an asthma attack, what should I do? And why did my asthma begin when I started to be a teenager?

Hi shortiee –

All mammals breathe, and depend on breathing throughout our lives.  We dogs count on it even more than you people, as we breathe to regulate our temperature, panting while you folks sweat!  So there’s hardly anything I can imagine that’s as scary as the idea of an asthma attack, and the sudden inability to fully breathe.

Now as I say a lot on here, I’m no doctor.  They don’t let dogs into medical school.  But here’s a good website that will tell you a lot about asthma and how to Continue reading

0 What to do when someone threatens suicide

pinkflower61 asks: There is a girl in my class who mostly stays alone and is very sensitive. Once I talked to her – she appeared to be sad and she started talking about how she hates her life and thinks of suicide. I don’t know what to do about her – or should I do nothing because it is something usual for teens?

Hi pinkflower61 –

You’re right that it’s very common for teenagers to think about hurting or even killing themselves, without ever doing it.  But it’s also way too common that teens do hurt themselves, or at least try to.

The fact that you talked with this girl just shows that you’re great.  So many kids ignore the quiet loners.  You may well be the best friend she has in the school, even though you barely know her.  So the single best thing you can do to help her through this time is… just chat with her again.  Just be a friend.  I don’t mean that you have to make her your total responsibility, but what if you had lunch with her one day?  What if you introduced her to your other friends?  What if you even invited her to go out with some other kids some night?  This could truly change her Continue reading

3 How can cancer affect the lives of teenagers?

wiggles asks: What are five ways that cancer affects a teenagers life?

Hi wiggles:

If you read much on my website, wiggles, you’ll see that I’m a pretty friendly dog.  I basically like everyone.  I don’t hate many things.  I don’t even hate cats as much as I imply (they just irritate me a lot and I want to chase them away!).  But one thing I just DESPISE is cancer!

I don’t like illness in any form, and I certainly hate the sadness and loss of death.  But cancer is such a cruel illness!  It’s so debilitating, and often so horribly painful.  And even the treatments we have for it, most obviously chemotherapy and radiation, are so painful and miserable…

Think of it this way: If you get a bad cold, your coughing and sneezing will actually clean out your Continue reading

0 What should one do if they suspect having parasites

happyelfblue asks: I have a medical problem. I know I have parasites in my body, and it’s really freaking me out. I have intestine/stomach pains. I’m also ALWAYS hungry, even If I eat. I feel tired and dizzy occasionally, and I can always feel something crawling up my leg as if something is rubbing my leg internally. My parents are both doctors, and they don’t believe me. I’m 100% sure I’m right, I’ve spent hours on the net researching causes and cures like lemon (but some things like ‘wormwood’ I don’t have). I’m really scared that in a few years I’ll have a serious problem like internal bleeding. I’ve tried everything and I’ve come to this forum as a last resort.

Hi happyelfblue –

As I often express here, I’m only a dog.  And I’m certainly not a psychic.  I can’t tell anything about anything other than what I’ve been written by you folks.

Given that, I have no way of knowing whether you really have parasites, or a psychological condition like Ekbom’s syndrome (here’s a good link about that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis), or some other problem.

But here’s what I do know:  you need to get to a good Continue reading

1 How to deal with violent family members

katie1234 asks: I’m a 15 year old girl, with no violent past, who all my friends know as a very peaceful person, accused of beating up my step mum and sister. I had a fight with both of them the night before and in the morning was attacked by my older sister (who has done this many times before and both parents know this) who got angry about another argument. She then called my step mum (who also has been in many physical fights with this same sister where police and social services had to come round multiple times) up to say that I attacked her. My step mum came back home and immediately took my purse. I struggled and took it off her, which I admit wasn’t the best thing to do, but then she threw me on the floor and wrestled me for it, hurting me. I pushed her off me time and time again. She eventually got it, sat on it and said she was farting on it (she’s 41). I took it back off her and she said, “fine take your stupid purse” and threw it at me. I of course rushed out of the house as soon as possible, but just when I got to the door and opened it she said “no you’re not getting away with this,” and yanked my hair up then threw me to the wall, which left me dizzy on the floor for about two minutes. I was so scared I rushed out to the road opposite a school (this was just before I left for my school), where little children were walking, crying, hair all messy and trying to put the shoes my step mum threw at me on in the middle of the street. The side of my head hurt for the rest of the day. However, this was not the most hurtful thing in the situation. The worst thing was coming home to my father and stepsister, who believed I attacked both my step mum and my sister, even though both were much stronger and angrier than me. I was punished of course but the worst thing is my dad believing I was beating them – especially when I thought he knew me as a person. Forgetting all the manipulation and psychological abuse my sister and I have suffered from her in the past, my step mum has broken my close relationship with my dad and my sister. Someone who I was also very close to has hurt me, and I don’t know if I can trust her again. What can I do?

Hi katie1234 –

There is so much here that I don’t really know where to start.

First of all, I don’t know where you live, but in many places, your stepmother could be arrested for this – even if they say you were the instigator, you’re still only 15 and she’s not supposed to get into fights with you.

Second, there’s something very odd in your story about your Continue reading

0 How to care for fever in small children

Tikiri asks: How should we take care of a small child who is suffering from fever?

Hi Tikiri –

In general, my view on fevers is that they’re not a terribly bad thing.  I figure the body is just trying to fight hard against something (germs, virus, etc.), and so builds up heat in the battle.  The most important thing to do is to keep feeding it fluids, so it can battle as well as possible.  Imagine you have an army fighting against an enemy; you would want them to have enough food and water, so they can be strong when things get heated, right?  So until the fever gets really crazy-hot, I’m in favor of letting it do its work, with lots of fluids to help all the processes along.

But I’m talking about grown-up humans there.  Small children are more Continue reading

0 How to build confidence and motivation

Sarah asks: Next year I will be participating in my school’s pageant show and am going up against tough competitors. You see, I am a shy person but whatever I put my mind to I DO IT. I need some advice on being motivated. When people look at me, they see this insecure girl. How can I change that and also change me into thinking positive and having confidence in myself?

Hi Sarah –

I’m not sure exactly what you’ll be doing in the show.  Singing, dancing, modeling?  I might have better specific advice if I knew.  But even without that, it strikes me that you’re asking two questions here, and I can take a try at both.

First, how can you get more motivated, and think positively?  You have come to the right expert on that one, Sarah!  We dogs have NO problems with Continue reading

0 What is Bipolar?

ti-f asks: I have this friend who thinks she’s bipolar. She doesn’t really act like she is bipolar, though she does cut herself (but just to hurt herself, not like she wants to kill herself). I told her she isn’t bipolar, but I don’t know how to convince her of it. She is only 12, and is Christian. Can you help me?

Hi ti-f –

ti-f, we’re dealing with two really big issues here.  First, exactly what is meant by “bipolar.”  Lots of people use that term very casually, referring to someone who’s moody or goes to extremes in excitement.  Well that applies to me!  And I’m definitely not bipolar.  I’m just a very active and friendly dog.

The true meaning of Bipolar is someone who is usually depressed, but at times will slip into some form of a Continue reading