You run an advice column in the local newspaper. You have received the following two letters.  You decide to respond to one of them personally (the other you refer to a colleague).  Write a response to Tim or Naomi. What would you say?  What advice would you give him/her?  Obviously, time is of essence as disturbed as their minds are they could commit an irrational act at any time therefore, post your advice on the Discussion Board no later than Sunday, November 7 at 11:59P.M.

 

 

 

Dear ______:

 

My name is Tim.  I am sixteen years old.  I am a Junior in High School.  Last year, I came out of the closet.  I admitted to my family and friends that I am gay.  Since then, my life has changed so much for the worse.  My Dad has threatened to kick me out of the house if I do not change.  He almost never speaks to me.  My Mom says she supports who I am but her attitude says something different.  She doesnt take me with her anymore when she visits her friends.  I think she is ashamed of me.  Most of my old friends have deserted me.  It is almost like I have some kind of disease!  I do not understand why this is happening to me.  The minister at my church says I am a sinner and that if I dont change I will go to hell.  Its not that I dont want to change I dont think I can.  I have known for quite some time that I am different from most other kids.  When I was young I was never interested in activities that normal boys go into my father would get so angry with me when I told him I didnt want to join a Little League team.  But he forced me to anyway.  All those afternoons I spent in right field!  All the times my Dad and coach yelled at me for striking out!  When all I wanted was an Easy Bake oven

 

I wish I could be someone else!  I wish I didnt have these feelings I have bought magazines with naked women and tried to jerk off to them, but I just cant!  What is the matter with me?  Why cant I be like everyone else?  Why do I have to be so different?  Is this God punishing me?  What did I do to deserve this!

 

Lately, Ive been thinking that perhaps everyone, especially my parents, would be happier without me.  I have spent much time thinking about the ways I would kill myself.  I thought about taking a bunch of pills but what if someone discovered me how could I ever face anyone again!  Perhaps hanging or if I could only get my hands on a gun but what am I talking about do I really want to die? Although, I think killing myself would be the best for everyone concerned some part of me wants to celebrate who I am Its like

 

like Im drowning and the water is over my head

 

Please, Please, Please help me.

 

 

Dear ______:

 

My name is Naomi.  I am thirteen years old.  I am in Junior High School.  I am having a lot of problems with how I look.  I see all these beautiful women in music vidoes and I want to look just like them.  So, I diet and diet and diet.  Sometimes, I will go for days without eating so I can lose weight.  Then I look in the mirror and notice I dont look anything like those girls on TV.  Then I become very depressed.  Then I go on binge eating.  Then I feel so guilty that I make myself vomit.  It is so depressing: no matter how hard I try.  I know I will never be pretty. 

 

When I was little, my parents made fun of me because I was chubby, esp. my father.  He would call me fatty or would laugh and say, You are so roly-poly why go roll yourself down a hill.  My mother would always buy clothes too small to shame myself whenever I looked in a mirror.  Now, I know they were right to ridicule me.  I have shown them.  I am 55 and 98lbs.  But, as I just said I am still not happy. 

 

Last year my parents divorced.  Dad had left the house the year before.  I have not seen him since.  I dont blame him he has every right to be ashamed of me.  I will never turn out the way he would want me to.  My mother is so busy dating she really doesnt have time for me.

 

I am very shy.  But I did try to have a relationship with a boy.  I met him through social media.  He said his name was Gabriel.  He said he was sixteen, lonely and looking for a girl who would accept him.  He was tired of playing games with the girls he meets in high school.  We had many great conversations.  We would text each other at random times during the day.  He told me he really liked me.  He told me that he thought about me continuously.  I wrote to him some very personal things about me.  I shared intimate thoughts.  He said he would like to kiss me, hug me, cuddle me.  I told him the same.  I told him that I Loved him. 

 

Then, one day, I received a message about me being a slut.  I couldnt believe it!  I have never even had sex with anyone I only shared my sex fantasies with Gabriel.  Pretty soon it was all over social media that I was easy.  Kids at school had read these posts and would tease me.  Boys would come up to me and make the crudest remarks.  I became even more isolated than ever.

 

What I found out was this:  Gabriel never liked me.  He was just using me and shared all my texts with his friends.  When I tried to confront him, he just laughed and called me a fool. 

 

I have been crying every day, sometimes I dont think Ill stop.  I feel so hopeless.  I dont want to go school anymore.  I am afraid to open my social media sites because I might read more taunting, but, I cant seem to help it. I know I am ugly no wonder the one boy I thought I could trust would just make me a butt of his jokes.  What nice boy would ever want me?  Maybe if I just lost some more weight.

 

I have no-one to talk to I have no friends who knows where my father is and mom is so busy with her boyfriends.  You know, mom often uses sleeping pills.  She keeps them in the cabinet in the bathroom.  I looked at the bottle the other day.  She has quite a few left.  I wonder if there are enough to let me sleep forever