By staff writer Mia Bazo

Dear M,
My mom won’t let me dye my hair the way I want. I want to dye it pink, but she said that it’s for crazy people. I want to be myself and dying my hair makes me feel like an individual. What can I do?
– “An Individual”

Hey Individual,
I think maybe you can ask your mom what other color she might consider, or maybe ask her if you can go for a temporary dye. Or suggest to her the clip-on highlight. The clip-on is a stripe of pink that you clip in your hair! Overall, dying your hair is pretty expensive too, which is maybe another reason she doesn’t want to do it.
If in the end she still doesn’t approve, there are other ways you can show your individuality. You could have your own “thing.” You can have your own catch phrase like…”hey girly” or “heyyy”. Maybe change up your fashion. Be the person who wears cute hats all the time. There are different ways to be individual! But always stay true to yourself!
,
M

 

Dear M,
Hey M, I have a question. I really like this girl and I think she likes me too, but I’m afraid to do anything about it because my friends will give me a hard time about it. We have a dance coming up and I don’t know what to do… so… yeah!
– “Romeo”

Hey Romeo,
If you like a girl you should be able to like her and not have people give you a hard time about it. Do you really know if your friends will give you a hard time about it? If they are that type, is that who you really want to hang around with? Maybe you need to set them straight.
As for your girl, you should tell her. Whether she likes you back or not, she deserves to know someone cares about her. When you’re telling me about the dance, do you mean asking her to the dance? If yes, ASK!!! If you’re right about her liking you, she might say yes. You have a fifty-fifty chance!. If she says no, at least you were brave enough to ask, which will be good practice for the future, even if it hurts now. But if you’re in middle school, don’t take this too seriously. Middle school romances don’t last long. (I personally think middle school is too young to start dating.)
I think you’ll make the right decision. It takes a lot of courage to ask, even if it’s anonymously!

,
M

 

Dear M,
I had a best friend, but then she started to hang out with someone else all the time. Sometimes, she would just ignore me and hang out with her new friend. Wherever her new friend went, she went, and she just left me standing there alone. At first, before she met that new person, she told me I was her best friend, but now her best friend is her new friend that she is hanging out with. When I heard that, I was very sad. Before I knew that her new friend was her best friend, I was going to give her a best friend necklace. Now that I know she isn’t my best friend anymore, I didn’t give it to her. I wish so badly that she was still my best friend. What should I do?
p.s.: I’m a shy person.
– “Devastated”

Hey Devastated,
You need to tell her how you feel. You can’t hide it, it wouldn’t be fair to you. Ask if you could be friends all together, you might like this new group. If it’s hard to talk…if you’re that shy, write her a note.
The end of a relationship, or the downgrade of one that’s meaningful to you — which this one obviously is — is an emotional loss. You’re mourning a friendship that meant a lot to you. There is no easy way to deal with the heartache you’re feeling. The best you can do is to try to keep yourself busy, invest in other friendships, and know that time will eventually heal your hurt. Even if it totally doesn’t feel like that’s the case right now.
I tried to write this over and over because I can tell this really means a lot to you. I know you can get through this.
,
M

 

Are you in burning need of some advice? Don’t want to ask your friends but want to keep it anonymous instead?
Ask our intrepid advice columnist! Post your question below and we’ll consider answering it in a future issue of The Dolphin Tail!