Weekly Column Archives
June, 2011
Daughter home from college—where will b.f. sleep?
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My daughter is a junior in college. She’ll be coming home shortly with her boyfriend who we have not yet met. They do not live together but I’m pretty sure…
College-age panelists weigh in on pornography issue
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My younger brother is 19, a healthy college student. We are close friends. He confided in me that he is reluctant to date because of recent problems with arousal. He…
May, 2011
Brother watches porn in front of younger sister
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m 15. I share a room with my 17-year-old brother because our mom can only afford two bedrooms. We have a computer in our room and I’ve noticed him looking…
Mom shames overweight daughters
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My sister and I are overweight. Every Saturday, our mom makes us strip naked and weighs us. We find it humiliating and embarrassing to stand there naked and be weighed…
Divorced dad wonders when to tell kids about new flame
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I have been separated/divorced for 15 months. About nine months ago, following a rebound relationship, I met someone I’m serious about. I’m as surprised…
Boys don’t ask for help—but they really need it
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: A friend with daughters referred me to your column. While I enjoy it very much, I would like to see more coverage of male issues. Almost every helpful program is weighted…
April, 2011
A bullying solution that really works
DEAR READERS: If your school could have a superpower, what would it be? If it’s an anti-bullying superpower, you’re in luck. I’d like to shout from the rooftops about the “Safe School Ambassadors”…
Siblings embarrassed about having two moms
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m 16 with a 14-year-old sister. Our mom is gay and her partner, “Jenny,” lives with us. We’re products of a marriage when she was young and…
Boy could be suffering from “Facebook depression”
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Maybe I shouldn’t meddle, but my son is an awkward, shy teenager and my brother’s kids are popular. At a recent reunion, a lively conversation ensued about…
“I want my own room” can be selfish
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My sister and I have to share a room because we get along. Our younger brothers get their own rooms because they constantly fight. We feel that this is unfair. In most…
March, 2011
One sibling doesn’t want to room with other in college
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My stepsister and I are both seniors and have applied to colleges. We share a room during visitations and where she has always been interested in a close relationship,…
Senseless war against masturbation still rages
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: This sounds like a Seinfeld episode, but my mom came home unexpectedly and caught me masturbating (something I normally do under the covers). She believes sex is immoral…
Parents each want a kid after divorce
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m 16 and my sister is 15. We are close friends. Our mom and dad are getting divorced and have agreed that one of us will go with our mom and one with our dad.…
Nipple & navel piercings behind Mom’s back
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Like many girls our age, my sister and I wanted our nipples and navel pierced. We’re under 18 and knew our prudish mom wouldn’t consent, so we did it on…
Dude! What’s up with extreme sports?
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: If I could ask young people anything, I’d like to know what the fascination is with extreme sports. What is this fixation all about? — Melody, Monterey,…
February, 2011
Anorexic girl dying for sister to tell on her
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My younger sister is 15 and paranoid about her weight because when she was younger she was teased about being fat. From researching the Internet, I think she has anorexia.…
“Glee” about as edgy as spilled slushees
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: One of my guilty pleasures is watching “Glee.” I am wondering if the degree of bullying they depict is exaggerated or if high school today is really like…
Boy’s girlfriend too much like Mom
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m a 17-year-old guy in a pretty serious relationship with my girlfriend. We’ve been together almost a year and are sexually active. The problem is, she…
Rebounding after a bad breakup
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Six months ago, my younger sister was rejected by her boyfriend for another girl. She’s still not over it. She lies around sad and depressed and hardly leaves…
January, 2011
Most kids today need “stress band-aids”
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m a retired high school nurse interested in how kids self-soothe in order to de-stress. I observe kids having such stressed childhoods that most have some type…
Panel weighs in on Arizona shootings
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m curious how young people feel about the shootings in Arizona. Politics has taken on an “us versus them” mentality. Hate and sound bites prevail…
Hookups according to today’s young men
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I counsel teens on college and career choices and have been learning about “hookup” culture. I’m concerned that sexual activity, starting with girls…
Panelists support uniform cell phone policy for schools
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Dear Straight Talk: I teach high school civics. I’m interested in a solution to the problem of cell phone distractions in high school classrooms. Everyone knows…
December, 2010
Straight Talk panelists co-author motorcycle safety law
DEAR READERS: Last school year, two teenage panelists from Straight Talk wanted to make the world a better place. Michael Kelleher and Sawyer Cole took their idea to the Capitol and stood persistently in front of…
Four Loko a recipe for adolescent disaster
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m in college and “Simon,” who is over 21, is throwing a New Year’s party. He bought two cases of Four Loko after it was banned and plans to…
Millennial Generation shares wishes for a better world
DEAR READERS: I hope you get as filled by this annual holiday column as I do. To hear the hopes of young people for a better world is as telling as it is moving. I have spoken often about the high level of emotional…
Anonymous cyberbully fakes as friend… maybe
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Lately, I’ve been the victim of cruel and hateful anonymous cyberbullying. I had no idea who was behind it as I have no known enemies. Then I found out on excellent…
Holiday wish list for teens and 20-somethings
DEAR READERS: I’d be lost without this list. I shop from it exclusively. Yes, I’m talking about Straight Talk’s annual shopping list for teens — (FYI: official adolescence goes to age 25).…
November, 2010
Should parents drug test their teens?
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Lauren, I am curious if you had ever tackled the subject of home drug testing. A lot of parents can’t imagine their teens are using drugs, but the sad fact is,…
Life in popular sibling’s shadow
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I love my little sister but I hate being around her. We are complete opposites and she has everything I have — plus looks, friends, and sports and musical talent.…
Is 16 too young for a boob job?
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: One of my friends is considering breast implants for her sixteenth birthday. She complains that she is a size B (like most in our class), and wants to be a size C or…
Teen drivers experience profiling by cops
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m a new driver and was pulled over for something I didn’t do. I was so nervous I hardly defended myself — and when I tried, the officer told me I…
October, 2010
Cybullied teen hints at suicide
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: How can I help my younger sister deal with cyberbullying? We share a room so I know how torn up she is and hear her crying every night. She’s somewhat overweight,…
Nude photo goes viral
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I don’t like my stepsister and have to share a room with her when she stays with us. I was so mad at her I secretly took a picture of her when she was naked. It…
Stepbrother is seduction target during visitations
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My stepsister has been propositioning me when I’m at my dad’s on visitations and we are home alone. She’s 17 and I’m 16. At first I thought she…
Stepsisters thrown in bed together develop love affair
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My stepsister and I have fallen in love. We’re both girls and both 17. We share a room and bed when she stays with us every other weekend and have been having…
September, 2010
Choking game hits close to home
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I just read about the boy who died playing the choking game. This really scares me because my sister and some of her friends sometimes do it in our room. I showed her…
Girls speak frankly about hook-up scene
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I counsel teens on college and career choices and have been learning about “hook-up” culture. I’m concerned that sexual activity, starting with girls…
Pot-smoking parent misguided in letting teen smoke
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Regarding the column about the daughter upset over her father smoking pot (Aug 11), I wish you had taken a stronger stand against pot. My stepfather smokes pot and since…
Animal lover’s question ignites passions
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m an animal lover and try to do what’s right by animals, whether volunteering at a shelter or donating to animal charities. Recently I visited with DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m leaving for college this week and am nervous about finances. I have taken out loans, a grant helps with my dorm and tuition, but there’s not enough to… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I am writing about communal showers from a guy’s point of view. They have ruined my life. At least girls can admit feeling nervous about showering, but guys consider… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My sister is disabled and uses a wheelchair. She needs help in the bathroom so I arrange to meet her in the girls’ bathroom at school. Obviously, we need to use… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My dad has been smoking pot since he was 25. He is now 50. I first caught him smoking it outside last Christmas, but he usually smokes in his bathroom. We had huge family… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m starting middle school this fall and will have to change for gym class in the locker room and even take communal showers. The gym teacher is strict about making… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Can you tell me if DMT is safe? Articles I’ve read in Spirituality & Health magazine seem to indicate it is probably okay to… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: My boyfriend got drunk on Fourth of July and, still, I let him drive me home. Nobody could give me a ride and the alternative was calling my parents. They would have… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I’m 16. Does anyone have advice for how to get off caffeine? Every day I need a coffee or energy drink fix, usually more than once. I feel so sluggish without… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I am stepfather to three teenagers. I have attended several high school commencements and have noticed a pattern of students thanking their moms but never their dads.… DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: In the recent letter from “Smoked-Out,” about her sister’s boyfriend sneaking cigarettes in their bedroom, at least she has house no-smoking rules… College kids give tips on stretching a dollar
August, 2010
School showers special hell for some boys
Girls’ bathroom brings out worst manners
Dad’s pot habit riles daughter
Cold feet over school showers
July, 2010
Lucy in the Sky with DMT (today’s LSD)
Can you trust calling parents for a ride?
Caffeine overdose blues
Fatherlessness a major factor in teen failures
June, 2010
Stepdad’s smoke permeates small apartment
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