Q: Last night, my sister, who is six, asked me if Santa Claus was real. I didn’t know how to respond, so I pretended I had urgent text messages to respond to. What should I tell her when she asks again?
A: Personally, I think that 6-year-olds are still young enough to believe in Santa, so I would avoid simply telling her that Santa isn’t real. It might be a good idea to first figure out why she’s asking you. Maybe other kids at school are telling her that Santa is fake, or maybe she just saw your parents wrapping presents. Then think about how old you were when you stopped believing in Santa. Think about the whole situation before making up your mind about what to tell her. If you decide it’s time to let her in on the truth, try to ease into it, and don’t be too mean. If you decide to tell her that Santa is real, just come up with a little white lie to smooth over whatever she heard or saw.
Sincerely,
The Comet Counselor
Q: I have a class at DDHS (let’s call it “underwater basket-weaving”) with a lot of my friends. The class is difficult and my friends regularly share answers with each other. I really like the class and want my friends to learn the material, not just copy answers. How can I maintain my friendship with them, but at the same time, prevent them from cheating?
A: First of all, I think it’s important to recognize that even though you think the class is interesting, your friends might not, and that’s okay. However, if you really want them to stop their cheating, one approach is to just be honest. Flat out tell them that they should try to put in some effort and stop copying. Personally, this isn’t what I would do, but It might just be what your friends need. If you do this, be sure to emphasize that you want what is best for them. You could also offer to help them with the difficult material and encourage them to actually understand it. And if “underwater basket-weaving” is something that you really enjoy and are passionate about, you should express that to your friends. Understanding that this is something you care about could make them more willing to hear you out. This is a pretty tough situation to be in, but try not to let a high school class be the thing that tears you apart.
Sincerely,
The Comet Counselor
Q: I consider myself a pretty average kid. However, I am shy and do not know how to talk to people. How can I start conversations with the kids in my classes?
A: I feel like this is a pretty common issue, or at least I’ve definitely experienced this before. I think the easiest time to make friends is at the start of a semester when your classes are fresh, but really you can make a new friend anytime. The first thing you should do is figure out who in that class you even want to be friends with. Once you’ve picked out a potential friend/friend group you could start by asking them for help. Something easy and casual like “Hey do you get question 4?” If they say yes, then ask them to explain it. This starts up a little conversation instead of just asking for the answer. If they say no, then at least you have something in common. Nothing brings people together like complaining, so make a little comment about how confusing the lesson is or how you’re always so tired during this class period. It might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but try to talk to them as if you’re already friends. If you don’t want to talk about school, then you can ask what they did over the weekend or give them a compliment (try to follow up with a question or comment so the conversation doesn’t end there). Just remember it takes time to make friends and not every potential friend will become a real one. It can be difficult, but just have confidence(or fake confidence) and go for it.
Sincerely,
The Comet Counselor
thecometeer