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

2 How to Handle First Loves

Sweetparker asks: I am 13 years old. When I started high school, I fell in love with F. Then I found out that he already had a girlfriend, so stopped having those feelings for him. Meanwhile, I had an enemy there as well, A. He and his friend like to disturb my friend and me. But after a fight with A, I realized I was falling in love with him! After that he made me furious with him, but I still love him. Then recently, F had a fight with his girlfriend and told me he loved me. Now, A can’t understand what I feel, but I just don’t love F. Please tell me – what should I do?

Wow, Sweetparker! Whatever happens, be sure and write this story down. This is just what makes bestselling novels, hit plays, and blockbuster movies! Everyone loves stories where the couple can’t stand each other and then fall in love – from all those Shakespeare comedies to Scarlett and Rhett, Leia and Han, and… hey even Lady and the Tramp had conflicts!

The tough news is that, unlike those, your situation is real, and doesn’t get worked out in a few hours.

The first thing I can tell you for sure, though, is that what seems to be a gigantic and endless problem now is really 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

0 Who Is Shirelle’s Teacher?

ChrisFoxx asks: Who is your teacher?

You mean my obedience teacher? Oh Handsome is usually my trainer, though I was in an obedience class when I was a puppy. The teacher of that was very nice, but neither Handsome nor I remember his name now. The best thing about him was that he taught the humans never to strike their dogs, just to train the dogs to focus, using treats! So training was something I looked forward to, instead of dreading it as most dogs do.

But if you mean who teaches me the things I write here – wow, that’s a simple Continue reading

0 Good Advice for Applying for a Job

Hassan asks: I want to apply for a job. I’m too much interested. Can you help me?

That’s great Hassan! The only job I ever applied for was “Companion and Protector.” My job interview involved standing up in the little cage in the dog pound and trying to convince whoever walked by that I’d be the best friend they’d ever have. With the first few hundred people who walked past, I was really saying I’d try to be that. But when Handsome walked by, we both knew it was true.

But here’s something I don’t think I’ve ever said to anyone on this site before – Handsome did not buy me right away! We had this great connection, but he was afraid I’d Continue reading

2 How much one should compromise in life

Duaa asks: How much should we compromise in life?

Your question is wonderful, and very very important. Especially because it’s one that you’ll keep asking as long as you live! Everybody has to ask themselves this question all the time.

From your question, it’s clear that you know the word “compromise,” but in case any of our other readers don’t, it means to take what you want and what someone else wants into consideration, and either find a way to “meet halfway” where each of you gets a part of what you want, or for you to just give them some or all of what they want, and not get what you want.

Confusing? Well, for example, when Handsome takes me for a walk, I like to sniff a Continue reading

0 How kids can resolve the generation gap

Tanni asks: What should children do to reduce the generation gap between adults and children?

That’s a fascinating question. Lots of our readers probably don’t know the term “Generation Gap.” It showed up in America in the 1960s when people noticed that parents and kids were disagreeing about way more things than ever before. Of course there’d always been disagreement about things like homework and chores, but now the young people were listening to music their parents couldn’t Continue reading