Category Archives for "Teens"

How to get your parents to do something they don’t want to do

Nardy Asks: I am A Huge Fan Of Justin Bieber, and I want to go to his tour, which is two hours away by car. But my Mom & Dad don’t want to go, they don’t like Justin!! But that’s my dream to go there. What can I do?

Hi Nardy –

 

Okay, this is one of those times in life when you begin to learn major adult skills.  It’s like with me — when I was a puppy, I could get pretty much anything I wanted from Handsome, just by giving him big eyes and a happy, wishful face.  But after I grew up, it got a bit harder.  And if there was something I wanted reeeeeeeally badly, I needed to figure out exactly how to go about getting it.  Play too puppyish, he’d think there’s something wrong with me.  Be super-nice, he’d just think I’m feeling very loving that day.  Be aggressive and demanding, and he might refuse to reward that behavior by giving it to me.  So I had to learn to think, really hard, about how to (and here’s the most important line in the letter) get him to Continue reading

What to do for a science project

wish_ROX asks: What should I make for my science project?

Hi wish_ROX –

I have a simple answer for you, though you might not like it.  It’s “Whatever You Want!”

But I’m not saying that to be bratty, wish_ROX.  What I mean is that, if you’re going to devote a lot of effort to a project, it should be about something you find interesting.  If you’re super-interested in animals, and find machines a little boring, then you shouldn’t be trying to build an engine.  And if you’re obsessed with powerful things that make bright lights and noise, you shouldn’t be bothering with breeding mice.

What really excites you, wish_ROX?  Think back over the last Continue reading

Should teenagers answer online surveys?

kavin24 asks: I’m 14. I want to earn money. I’d prefer to make money online. Is it a good idea to use a paid survey?

Hi kavin24 –

I have to be honest with you; I really don’t know much about these surveys.  But I’m a huge fan of kids finding ways to earn money.  As long as two things are true – that what they’re doing is legal, and that it’s safe.

I’m a very protective mutt, and if there were a way for me to sit with you and look at each of these surveys, I’d be very happy to do it.  But of course I can’t.  And one thing about being 14 is that, no matter how smart, even brilliant, you might be, there’s stuff about life you just Continue reading

How to keep information in your memory for a test

daisymimi22 asks: I learn things before I take tests, but when I am writing on my test sheet, I forget everything. What should I do?

Hi daisymimi22 –

I sure do relate.  When I was getting trained, I would learn all the things I was supposed to do – “Come,” “Sit,” “Stay,” “Heel,” and such – and really have them down.  Then Handsome would take me in front of some friends of his and say, “Shirelle’s so smart!  Let me show you!  Okay, girl, Sit.”  And I’d have absolutely no idea what he was talking about!

How wildly irritating!  He’d be embarrassed, I’d feel dumb, and his friends would be condescending, like “Well she’s a cute puppy anyway, that’s enough.”  Oh how awful that felt!

So here’s the problem I had, which I imagine you’re also having.  Brains (both dog and human sorts) have sections that store different sorts of Continue reading

What to do if you’re addicted to Facebook

Hachiko asks: I have been getting addicted to the Internet (especially Facebook). I can’t close it because my best friend and I live very far so we can talk there. I also play a game there called Youville, and am addicted to that too. Could you please help me?

Hi Hachiko –

Facebook is, I suppose, the most profound change in humans’ social world of the last decade.  I don’t even know what would come in second place!  It has exploded in popularity and importance so quickly that most of the world has been struggling to keep up with it – including trying to grasp what its advantages and disadvantages are.  Besides its original intent to create a place for friends to meet online, it has contributed to the fall of empires, to countless reunions of lost contacts, and – yes – to millions of acts of thoughtlessness and cruelty.

I’m only a dog and don’t have nearly the imagination or wisdom to know all the advantages or disadvantages inherent in Facebook.  But there are a few things I do know, and they all have both in them!

1)    Facebook is an amazing way of getting news about yourself out to a Continue reading

What to give a kid who’s interested in space exploration

kavin24 asks: My younger brother’s 7th b’day is on coming up, but I don’t have an idea for what to give him. Can you choose it for me? I’ll tell you his interests: 1) He likes astronomy and mechanics but I don’t think he knows anything about it. 2) He’s trying to create things. 3) Sometimes he plans space ships. 4) He wants to work in NASA when he is 20 years old. 5) He’s also interested in mathematics. 6) He’s trying to dig tunnels in the house, and to add a swimming pool to our home. 7) He also likes detective stories, and has a detective tool set, laboratory tools and a telescope to watch planets. (note: I just have only a little pocket money!)

Hi kavin24 –

 

 

We dogs aren’t very good with gifts.  The nicest present I ever gave Handsome was a squirrel I’d just caught.  I dropped it at his feet as he was stepping out of the shower.  The huge yell he gave made me think he was really excited and appreciative, but he then threw it out in the garbage, so I have a feeling it wasn’t a total success.

 

So I have no suggestions at all.  In my experience, what people appreciate the most from me is love, play, warmth, protection… and shutting up when they Continue reading

How to find a tutor

zipingo asks: I am a special child – I can’t walk and am in a wheelchair. I need a tutor to teach me in Urdu. Can you help me?

Hi zipingo –

I don’t know enough about your specific situation (where you live, etc.) to give you exact information, but I think the Internet is your best bet.

Let’s say you lived in, oh, Paris.  Well I imagine you could go onto a search engine like Google or Yahoo or whatever, and type in “Tutor Urdu Paris” and that a number of names would come up.  Then you could check with all of them, and see who you can trust and like the most.

But also, I would imagine, if you live in a city, there will be places that provide tutors for Continue reading

What to do if you’re sent to a scary school

amason7 asks: I failed 2 subjects at school, and my parents say that they are going to change me to a very bad school. I fear for my future. What do I do?

Hi amason7 –

I’m not sure what you’re fearing – if it’s the effect of failing the classes or the bad school.  Or both.

If it’s about the classes, the odds are you’re worrying more than is deserved.  People fail classes and exams all the time, and manage to move on to great lives and careers.  There may be lessons to learn from the failures, and if so I’m all for that.  But in terms of the immediate effects of the exams, you might have to retake those classes, or not get into some schools you want, but in the long term I think it’ll be fine.  Hey I had to get trained in staying so many times – each time I’d think I’d nailed it, I’d screw up and have to go Continue reading

What to do when someone spreads lies about you

sundershiner asks: This one girl hates me and won’t stop making up lies about me! How can I get through to her? I want her to stop. But I want to do it in a calm way.

Hi sundershiner –

You probably know me well enough by now to guess what I’d say, which is that you’ve got to find out why she’s doing this!  It makes no sense for anyone to hate anyone, or spread lies about them (which we know well is guaranteed to come back and bite her right below the tail one of these days), unless they have a very strong reason.

(Note: I didn’t say a very good reason; it might be completely stupid!  But it’s definitely a strong one.)

Now if someone hates someone for reasons that are really about that person being Continue reading

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