AboutSuzi Zimmerman Expertise I am a teacher and I write books on teen dating, self-esteem, and values. I can answer questions on making healthy choices, self-improvement, liking yourself, relationships and friendships, goal-setting, values, and how to handle making difficult choices.
Experience Today 1 in 5 sexually active people has HPV (linked to cancer and genital warts) and 1 in 4 has Herpes. 90% of girls who do NOT use condoms become pregnant each year, and AIDS cases are on the rise. Those who do not have sex will not have to deal with these issues, nor will 99% of those who use condoms correctly and consistently. In short, abstain from sex or use condoms - and use them correctly.
Parents of adolescent and teen girls should research Gardasil, a vaccine against many forms of HPV. You may not think your daughter will be sexually active, but this will also offer her certain health protection in the event of rape - or should she become sexually active.
Question Well here's how it goes, i'm 17 years old. When i was a freshmen and a sophmore, i stayed having boyfriends. But i started getting sick of having boyfirends and wanted to be single for awhile. I've been single for like over a year now, and now i'm getting really tired of being single. I would talk to boys and get really close to them. They would tell me how much they like me and stuff like that, but when i start showing interest in them, they seem to drift away from me. So i start feeling bad about myself and i feel alone. I just feel like i can never have another boyfriend that's right for me in my life. How can i deal with this situation?
Answer Chelise, guys sense when a girl is "moving in" or trying too hard. It can scare a certain kind of guy. What kind of guys are you interested in? Why might a relationship be threatening to them?
I have found and a lot of my teens who have sent me questions agree that being friends with a guy first and nurturing that friendship is the best way to meet a guy/girl with who to have a romantic relationship. It's hard to push romance with someone you barely know, but it's hard to fight off romantic feelings when you start caring for a friend as more than a friend. It's just a more natural progression.
Focus on the friendship first, and perhaps that's the key to no longer being single.
