Ryan

It’s good to see you doing these again. The site looks good too, the old one had so much spam. ugh, it was terrible. But, anyways, woot for the inaugural vid!

For Sabrina’s dilemma I can relate. My friend is going through something similar, and it hurts not just her but us (the friends). Her parents hardly let her out of the house, but she’s the most mild-mannered sweet girl you could ever hope to meet. Her parents are immigrants too, so they want to keep her close to her heritage… It’s hard to think about someone trying to keep you close during the time when you’re trying to be independent. What my friend found as an escape was extra-curricular programs. She made so many friends just by staying after school, maintained her own identity while pleasing her parents, and (Bonus!) she started to hang out with my group of friends too. I hope that Sabrina can learn to see her parents’ side of things, but also see that there are ways of meeting her needs without feeling guilt or upset that she might have offended her parents.

Ashley is quite the trooper. I give her a lot of credit for consistently saying “no”, but she shouldn’t have to feel responsible and explain why. They’re being the jerks and asking for her picture, they should just be thankful that she’s even talking to them if they’re being that rude. She’s just standing up for herself. It’s that simple “N-O”, two letters one word. What is so difficult about that? I really hope she can teach them that “no” doesn’t require an explanation.

simply,
Sarah

Wonder if it ranks up there with the Golden Rule? Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Isn’t it basically the same. (Shoulder shrug)

{Peace}

Great advice on both counts. It is hard for a teen to understand the concept of seeking to understand before seeking to be understood. It’s a little bit risky to let down your guard and show that you are willing to be influenced. But it works. It is like magic… once the other person, or people, feel like they have been listened to and understood, there is space created in the relationship to have a real discussion about the issues. Good Luck Sabrina.

Found ya via Don Miller’s blog. Keep up the great work.
grace, Reid