McCallion
Quest

Advice column

By Kai de Bruyn Kops 

Dear Aunt Agony,

 My friends all smoke and keep telling me I should because it's cool. Should I? What can it really do to me?

Sincerely, smoking problem

Dear Smoking problem,

Definitely not! It might be hard to say to your cool friends, but being cool isn't worth dying. Smoking can cause cancer to the lungs. It also makes your teeth turn yellow and your breath smell horrible (even with the breath mints). Smoking can cause difficulties breathing and make it difficult to do simple activities like running, bicycling etc.   Smoking is also really addictive and hard to get out of the habit. Plus, why waste your well-earned money on cigarettes when you can be out at the mall on your shopping spree?

 Dear Aunt Agony,

My grades are really slipping! I think I'm failing a few subjects, I need help I just don't understand and when I do I forget everything during the tests. I play sports 24/7 and my parents are saying that if I don't get my grades up I'm going to have to stop playing some of them!

Sincerely, Help me… my grades need to go up

Dear Help me,

First of all, try to get help from somebody else that really understands the information. Maybe you could ask him or her to stay in at lunch to help you. If not, I'm sure that one of your teachers wouldn't mind helping you. After all, that's what they are there for. Maybe you could ask them to help you during lunch or perhaps after school during remedial.

Secondly, maybe you need to spend a little more time studying! Since you have so many things to do, try to spread it out and balance your time a little more evenly. Don't do it all at the last minute because you won't have time or remember it! Third, during the test try not to get so nervous. If you are prepared and you know your stuff, you'll be fine. Good luck!     

Dear Aunt Agony,

All the girls I know are skinnier than me and my boyfriend often complains that I'm too fat and should lose some weight. I know a couple of girls who are either bulimic or anorexic and they're really skinny. I'm beginning to think that I should do it as well, how much harm can it do?

Sincerely, need help, want to be skinnier

Dear Need help, want to be skinnier,

No you should not become anorexic! You can die from it! Starving yourself is not worth it, it may become a regular habit to your body and you won't be able to stop yourself. If your friends and boyfriend really think you're too fat, maybe you should consider finding a couple of other friends who will like you for who you are…on the inside, not the outside.

But…if you really feel that you need to lose some weight, do it the right way. Ask your mom to get you an appointment with your doctor or a nutritionist. They can design for you a small diet that can help. You must also try to get some exercise in during the week. Do it one step at a time and you'll get there.