Stress
Create safety net for those who have cleaned up
Dear Straight Talk: I want to make everyone aware of something that cost me my son Joshua's life. Several of his friends died in high school. He first buried his feelings with marijuana, then switched to alcohol in order to pass drug…
4 Comments
Do I tell on sibling regarding Adderall use?
Dear Straight Talk: After reading the warning signs of Adderall abuse in your recent column (MAR 19), I'm 99 percent sure my older brother is on Adderall or something similar. He’s paranoid about his grades being perfect so he…
10 Comments
Academic doping with Adderall not road to excellence
Dear Straight Talk: My very stressed-out son admitted using Adderall as a "study drug." He says he needs it to be competitive. He buys it at high school for $3 a pill, saying, "you can get it everywhere." I had no idea this was such a widespread…
7 Comments
Is cursing at parents standard fare for teens?
Dear Straight Talk: A dear friend struggling with single parenting called to tell me that his daughter said, "F– you," to him at dinner. She is 14. I burst out laughing and told him welcome to raising teenagers. He is still mad at…
3 Comments
Pressure-cooker high schools
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: Sometimes I think our schools have gone crazy. We expect our kids to get a 4.6 GPA, letter in sports, run student government, play in the orchestra,…
0 Comments
Boy has murderous thoughts toward bully
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: I moved here as a freshman. I’m heading into junior year and never made it into the popular crowd. In fact, I’m completely shunned because last year, a completely…
9 Comments
“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…
10 Comments
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…
3 Comments
“Friends with benefits” at corner of Heartbreak and Pain
DEAR STRAIGHT TALK: A boy I like asked if I wanted to be “friends with benefits” instead of boyfriend and girlfriend. We’re both 18, seniors in high school, and I use…
