Annie Fox for Teens... Hey, Terra!

Annie (AKA Hey Terra!) has been around long enough to have experienced a lot of what Life can dish out. But, it hasn’t been so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be your age. Check out some of the thousands of email questions teens from around the world have sent to Terra. You may learn something useful from her answers:

Rejection:
“My friends don't like my other friend.”

Hey Terra,

I have this one friend who doesn't like any of my other friends. When I'm with some of my other friends, they are talking about her. I say, "You guys, she's my friend, and you shouldn't be talking about her." So they stop.. For the moment. But, they do it again other times. It still bugs me that I can't make them stop.

Girl in the Middle

Dear Girl in the Middle,

I completely understand your desire for all of your friends to get along with each other. It would be great for you not to feel like you're always "in the middle." Even though that is a worthwhile goal, you just can't achieve it on your own. You don't have that kind of control over what your friends do or think or say or feel. (No one has that power over other People.)

You can't "make them stop." So unless they choose to stop talking about your friend nothing will change.

I spoke with a group of high school girls last night about your email. Don't you feel special? LOL And they thought it might be helpful if you understood WHY your friends feel the way they do about your other friend. Or do you already know where these bad feelings are coming from and how it started? One option you have is to be a peace-maker. Bring the group together with your other friend and see if they are willing to talk about their differences (get everything out on the table) and work together (with your kind help) to make the peace. Even if they decide they don't want to be super close buddies, at least they may agree to stop talking about her in front of you (or behind her back).

I hope this helps.

In friendship,

Terra


Need some advice? Write to Terra. She'll give you a straight answer you can trust without any lectures.


What's New?
''The Girls Q&A Book on Friendship: 50 Ways to Fix a Friendship Without the DRAMA'' by Annie Fox, M.Ed., illustrated by Erica De Chavez Books & Apps for Teens
''Middle School Confidential 3: What's Up With My Family?'' iOS app ''Middle School Confidential 2: Real Friends vs. the Other Kind'' iOS app ''Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are'' iOS app ''The Teen Survival Guide to Dating & Relating: Real-World Advice on Guys, Girls, Growing Up, and Getting Along'' by Annie Fox M.Ed.
''Middle School Confidential, Book 3: What's Up with My Family?'' by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Middle School Confidential, Book 2: Real Friends vs. The Other Kind'' by Annie Fox M.Ed., Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Middle School Confidential, Book 1: Be Confident in Who You Are'' by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Too Stressed to Think? A Teen Guide to Staying Sane When Life Makes You CRAZY'' by Annie Fox, M.Ed. and Ruth Kirschner