Teen Advice: How to Deal With Friends, Drinking, & Drugs

Recently, a young woman wrotea us and wanted to know how to deal with a tough situation.  One of her best friends has started drinking and doing drugs and doesn’t want to spend time with her anymore.  Their friendship is falling apart.  Here’s what our teen advisors had to say.

Advice #1

I think your best option here is to write her a letter telling her how you feel. Be honest with her, tell her that you love her and that she is your best friend and friends are there through the good times and the bad. I think she will come around eventually, it’s just going to take a lot to get there. I would just keep trying and don’t give up on her, even if she has turned her back on you, don’t turn your back on her because one day she will see just how good of a friend you are for being there for her no matter what.

Advice #2

Losing someone close to you is hard no matter what, and losing a best friend to drugs and alcohol is can be even harder.  There is something to keep in mind though. Drugs and alcohol is really serious matter. Although you love your friend and would do anything to help her, you have to know that the situation may be out of your hands. The first thing you need to do is go to a trusted adult. A mother, aunt, school counselor…. Any adult that you can talk to. The adult has at least some power to get your friend help, which is the most important thing right now.
If your friend resists every one of your efforts to help her through this, she isn’t realizing how much she means to you, or what a great friend you are. But you can’t stay in this situation, for your sake. If you were to continue in this situation, it could be classified as an unhealthy relationship. Don’t let yourself get caught in one of these, because let me tell you, they are hard to get out of. It much more healthy for you to be aware of yourself before anyone else, no mater how important they are to you. I wish you the best of luck with your friend, and I apologize that you’re going through this.

If you have a issue you’re struggling with and want our teens to help, please email us at info@girlswithdreams.com with ADVICE in the subject line.

Pledge and Save Your Life

Have you ever heard of the show “To fat for 15?” It’s about girls that are over weight and go to a camp called wellsprings and are on a strict diet and many of them lose between 50-200 pounds.

Many teens aren’t eating healthy, whether you are over wight or not, eating healthy is important to every day.

Style has a pledge going for everyone to make a pledge saying they will eat healthy. Make the pledge today by click here. For each pledge made, style is donating $1 to the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation.

Start today! Don’t wait for tomorrow, because tomorrow will become the next day, and the next day will become the next.

Things to help you live a healthier life style.

1. Drink plenty of water!

2. Have at least one vegetable a day (but have as many as you can).

3. Snack on things like grapes, strawberries, almonds, cheese sticks, and carrots instead of chips or candy.

4. Choose food with wheat flour instead of white flour.

5. Cut back on soda, limit your self to one a week.

6. Make an effort exercise for an hour a day.

If you have an suggestions that you do to stay healthy, comment and let every one know, and don’t forget to join the pledge!

How Will You Celebrate Earth Day 2011?

We’d love to hear what you’re doing to celebrate Earth Day today, April 22 and throughout the year.  We believe it’s not just earth day once a year, but every day is important to think about how we can take care of the earth. 

Here are a few very simple ways you can do your part:

• Stop purchasing bottled water and fill up your own.  Recycle your plastic water bottles and get your own aluminum bottle.  Over 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in landfills every year.  Yuck!  Get involved in the Green Bottle Movement.
• Give gratitude for someone who is doing their part and send them a Blue Marble!
• Read about awesome girls like you who are Going Green!  Get inspired by the book Girls Gone Green and find out how you can help too.
• Turn off your car, and remind your parents to do the same, anytime you are waiting more than 30 seconds.  You’d be amazed how much energy you’ll save.
• Bring your reusable bags into the grocery store, mall, or any shop you go to.  Find a small one that you can fit in your purse, that way you’ll always have one and you won’t have to use plastic.
• Read all of our ‘Green’ Blog Posts for more simple ideas.

Let us know your ideas!  We want to hear them.  Post here, or write us at info@girlswithdreams.com.

Teen Advice: Fun Things to do for Easter

Some times Easter can get a little bit boring, so do things to keep it exciting and have your whole family involved!

1. Plan your own Easter egg hunt! If you have things to put inside the eggs, that’s even better, but this is something you can do inside or outside. You could make it for kids or the whole family and have some hidden harder than others.

2. Have a scavenger hunt with the Easter baskets! Ask your mom or dad if you can hide your younger siblings Easter basket, then play a hot/cold game with them till they find it, or make note cards that they them where to look next. Example: have a hint on a card that says, “I may be where you wash your clothes” then in the washing machine you can have one that says “If I’m hungry I would go here” Then in the pantry you have another one all leading up to the basket.

3. Make a Easter bingo game for the family to play.  You could do it on your computer and then print them off.

4. Make a sheet of scrambled up words for everyone to unscramble and they can be Easter words.

If you have any fun family traditions or things you would like to share, comment and let us know!

Happy Easter!

Got a Blue Marble for Earth Day?

One of the coolest movements I’ve heard to help save our oceans is the Blue Marble Campaign.  The idea is simple…to spread an attitude of gratitude throughout the world.  Purchase a blue marble then help to inspire ocean kindness across the world and live like you love the ocean!!

Make sure you check out Blue Marble’s website, upload your own photo, and follow them on twitter, facebook, and youtube!

We only have world, one ocean, let’s take care of it together and live Blue!  Earth day is this Friday April 22, this would be a great project to do at your school or just for you!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I recently did a book report on Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Usually, it takes me weeks to finish a book. A teenagers life is hectic, a lot of things to do in not a lot of time. However, I can honestly say this book had me hooked after the first 10 pages. Lauren Oliver keeps you guessing ever step of the way with gut wrenching suspense.

If your anything like me, you’ve probably become bored with the books talking about a teenaged girl falling for a guy and then they break up and get back together and blah blah. This story puts a whole new twist on teenaged love.

Where Lena lives it is “illegal” to fall in love. The goverment has taken control of “love” and labelled it as a disease. The goverment has confined a community by surrounding it with fences and when the residents reach the age of 18 they are evaluaded and paired with a match. The pairs get a “cure” that will protect them from the disease. After Lena is exposed to a few of the goverments secrets she finds out that everything the goverment has told them has been a lie.

If you are looking for a quick, easy read you should definitely pick up Delirium.

Fighting with Best Friends

Friends are made for fighting.  Sound a bit too pessimistic? There isn’t a doubt in my mind that it’s true. When you think about it, it really makes a lot of sense. Your friends are like practice for the real world. They’re there to make sure you know how to deal with conflicts people throw your way. And boy do they do just that.

It’s pretty reasonable to think that I’ve been fighting with a friend. Extremely, one hundred percent accurate, actually. This is one of my best friends I’m talking about, which hurts a lot, because sure we’ve been through rough times before, but we haven’t spoken for days other than a few exchanged text messages, and they haven’t been good.

This is my very best friend I’m talking about here. I don’t know if any of you girls have experienced a fight with your very best friend, but it hurts, a lot.

I walk onto my bus everyday, waiting to see her there sitting on the seat where we go everyday, waiting for me. I mean, she always is. But sometimes I get this feeling that she just doesn’t want me to be there. So, I guess that’s where it all started. I got a feeling, it turned out to be true, and look where it got me… not speaking to my best friend.

I’m not sure if I can even call her that anymore. But, I feel like I need to or else I will literally explode. Well not literally, but you know.

So I guess when I’m older someday, I’ll look back at this and thank her. At least that’s what all of the adults I’ve talked to about this little situation have told me. She’s teaching me a lesson… I know. But for now, it feels more like I’m being walked all over by the girl that I’m supposed to be able to trust with my life. Oh best friends sometimes…

What Do Your Spring Break Plans Look Like?

As soon as the three o-clock bell rolled around, my whole school was ready for spring break. There was not a single person I could think of that didn’t have extravagant plans, or overall excitement for the week long break that marked the year nearly over.

My big exciting plans did not include going to Florida, or Las Vegas, or any extremities (although that is always fun). I was simply planning on taking a weekend trip to the Lake of the Ozarks with my family. Yeah, it was with my family, I know some girls have this thing about being with family, but it was probably the best trip I’ve ever taken.

The whole time, there was no drama. And no “She said…. and then he said…. and I don’t know what to do!!” Instead, I got the luxury of being alone with my family, away from the technology. We went mini golfing. We saw movies. We went out to dinner without thinking “Is my hair ok…?” That’s the nicest thing about family. I don’t have to worry.

This spring break was amazing. There was nothing I would change about it, and I’m glad I decided to spend time with family, it was worth it. Now I’m just waiting for summer….

“Change”

Some people see change as a good thing; a way to explore new things and ideas. Unfortunately, the rest of us are intimidated by new experiences and the unknown.

Change is never easy, wether it involves dealing with a breakup, your parents’ divorce, or going to college. Which is why a lot of teens are so afraid of change. As if we don’t have enough to worry about with school, work and our social lives’ we have to go through all of this stuff too? Craziness, I know.

But the truth of the matter is, change is  inevitable. No matter how hard we try to avoid it, it’s going to happen eventually. So, what’s a teen to do?

Well, I have found the only way to make it through a tough transformation is acceptance. Whatever you do, never run from it. Acceptance is allowing yourself to completely understand the situation. At first there will be a feeling of shock, of course, but don’t let that feeling control you. It’s normal to grief about a big change for a while, but when its all said in done the only choice you can control is your own. As a teens, our decisions are our most powerful asset. The worst decision that a teen could make while going through any sort of change is letting the situation hinder other aspects in thier life.

The first step of acceptance is to calm down and come to terms with yourself and the circumstances. Accept the change and try to find the brighter side of things, no matter how difficult it may seem. I’ve personally found after accepting the situation for what it is, it turns out not to be as bad as it was in the beginning.

So teens, remeber to stay focused because every problem has a solution!