Dear Queenie,
I just started high school and there is a girl I would like to get to know better but I don’t know how to go about it. Up to now all my friends have been boys like me, mostly ones I’ve known all my life because they are the children of my parents’ friends.
Queenie, how do I go about getting to know a girl?—Bashful boy
Dear Boy,
This is a common problem for children your age, both boys and girls.
If the girl is not already acquainted with you, smile and introduce yourself and ask a question about a class assignment or some activity in which she is involved, or simply pay her a compliment, perhaps about the way she looks or something you have seen her do. If you are with a group of other boys and girls, ask her if she would like to join you. Good luck!
Dear Queenie,
When people write to you for help why do you almost always tell them to get professional counselling? What kind of help is that when all they want is a simple answer for their question?
Queenie, why don’t you just tell them what they want to know?—Faithful reader
Dear Faithful reader,
All too often – most of the time! – there is no simple answer for the questions I am asked. Solving such problems will require guidance of a professional nature – for example, legal, medical, psychological or financial, among other topics – that I am not qualified to give and/or cannot offer briefly in a newspaper column.
And I thank you for reading my column and for asking a question that I can answer briefly in this column.
Dear Queenie,
I am very uncomfortable in large groups, but I manage to get along on special occasions like birthday parties and holidays with family. However, some of my relatives think I would be alright if I just tried harder.
Queenie, how do I make them understand?—Agoraphobic
Dear Agoraphobic,
Some people just do not understand about phobias. A medical professional might be able to explain it to them, if they would listen, but until that happens you will just have to try to ignore the doubters and spend less time with them.
Dear Queenie,
Is it ever okay to yawn in public? My husband thinks yawning is a natural thing. I don’t.
Queenie, what do you think?—Etty Ket
Dear Etty Ket,
Unless one is simply exhausted, a yawn is an indication of boredom, of lack of interest in a conversation or social activity, and one should try not to do it in the presence of others.
Dear Queenie,
My son is very smart and at his school that makes him a victim of bullies, kids that are not as smart as he is. His teachers didn’t help him with the bullies so I talked to the principal but things just kept getting worse. All this business with distance learning has helped a little, but when my son is actually in school things are still bad. They get on his case because he is the “teacher’s pet”.
Queenie, what more can I do about this?—Worried mother
Dear Mother,
Talk to the teacher and the principal again, and if that does not help, talk to the school board. As a last resort, you could consult a lawyer, because the school has an obligation to deal effectively with this sort of problem.
You should also consider sending your son to a different school, possibly a private school if you can afford it or can get some help with the expense.
