Pamper Guests - The Parklander Magazine

these difficult times as a family, you’ll get the rewards you arelooking for. —Your friend.DEAR 15 AND FEELING BLUE,When you play such an important role in a family, it can be hardto balance your family with your after school commitments. I’dsuggest that you talk to your parents about this. Let them knowthat you’re there for them, as always, and are happy to help at anytime. That being said, tell them how you feel about afterschoolactivities and sports. Let them know that while your family isimportant to you, you’d like to get more involved in clubs/sports.Your parents will see that you are being mature by wanting to balanceyour life, and hopefully they’ll understand your point of viewand allow you to go back into sports and other clubs/activities.Also, when your friends do offer to pay for you, don’t feel badabout accepting an offer once in a while. You can repay them in away that doesn’t involve an exchange of cash such as hosting aswim party, or helping them after school with homework. I hopeyour dad succeeds in finding a new job that makes him happy. Iwish you the best.—A Fellow SophomoreHI SAD AT 15,Concerning going out with your friends, why not invite them overto your house? Or you guys can plan a get together at someoneelse’s house.That is a good way to avoid spending money for all ofyou. Also, look at the pros that you can get out of these circumstances.By taking care of your siblings, you are becoming moreresponsible and most likely learning skills that will help you lateron down the road. Also, taking care of your siblings and not beingable to go out on the weekend allows for more family time.This isthe time where you can be strengthening your bonds with yoursiblings and parents. Especially in times like these, stickingtogether is important. You may feel as if you are at bottom rightnow. What happens when you are at the bottom and things arethe worst they can be? You can only go up. Things will get betterin time. Don’t give up hope. — A FriendDEAR SAD AT 15,While all of the Peer to Peer Counselors reported having a lot of difficulty withanswering your question, the responses are quite thoughtful and creative. Ihope the ideas suggested and support offered is of help to you. So many familiesare going through financial hardship at this time. The numerous complicatedissues parents are trying to navigate are so overwhelming that the social needsof their children are often overlooked. I advise you to not assume that your parentsare aware of your needs. It might be that you are being so strong for theentire family that you have hidden your unhappiness from them. Please tellthem! Most importantly, I advise you to not assume they are too stressed towork with you to solve the problem. It sounds like your parents are veryresourceful in solving problems and I suspect they care very much about yourhappiness and will work to help you.—Dr.RenaeDCALLING ALL:MIDDLE AND HIGHSCHOOL TEENSDo your friends come to you with their problems?Are you constantly being told that you give goodadvice? Are you considering a career in the counselingfield? Now is your chance to try out your talent,help others and have your voice heard. TheParklander needs you!!“ASK DR RENAE” is an advice column for teens withadvice from real teenagers. We are currently recruitinginterested middle and high school students to help provideadvice to their peers. We are especially interested in hearingfrom students who have successfully completed a peercounseling class or who are currently enrolled in one. Weare seeking applicants from public schools, privateschools, charter schools, and also those who are homeschooled.All advice is reviewed, selected and screened by Dr. RenaeLapin, a licensed marriage and family therapist currentlyworking for the Broward County School Board’s FamilyCounseling Program. Dr. Renae has 30 years’ experienceas a family counselor and has been writing a monthlycolumn in the Parklander for the past two years on schoolrelated and parenting issues. Your advice will be publishedanonymously (but you can tell your friends that it is yours!)Teacher recommendation and parent permission required.Interested? Write to ASK DR. RENAE for an application ataskdrrenae@att.net.Put ASK DR. RENAE in the subject line.If you are a teen with a question or problem for which youwould like advice from a peer, write to “Ask Dr. Renae” for aconfidential response to your question printed in theParklander. No names or identifying information will bepublished. Please give your age and/or grade level inschool, and let us know if you are a guy or a girl. Allinquiries should be directed to: askdrrenae@att.net. Makesure to include “Ask Dr. Renae” in the subject line.thePARKLANDER87