Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with teenager

14 year old girl book choice

occidental — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:27:35 -0800

I would like to get a 14 year-old girl an amazing book. Something along the lines of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (which I have read) but I hesitate to introduce her to some of the extremely painful events in the book at her age. Would "All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes" be a good book? I have not read this one yet. Any other Angelou books I should look at?

Help Me Help Him

terrier319 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:44:01 -0800

A great kid. Uncomfortable in his own skin. Teen pressure. We've all been there. Help me help him. He's at the gawky stage of life, uncomfortable with how he looks, not muscular like some of his friends, shy, reserved, unsure of himself and how he might ask a girl out.

Shuns social interaction, worries about what his friends think of him and why he's feels he's not "cool." In short, a kid living through the painful period of adolescence.

I am trying to help him by assuring him that we have all been there, he will get through it, that he has to find something that really interests him and that once he does his true light will shine through and others will find him interesting.

Good looking 15-year-old, good grades in school, tall, physically attractive and otherwise a fine kid. He just wants to be liked.

It pains me to see him suffer through this. I want to help but I know that he has to live it like everyone else. Please offer any suggestions.

How can I help my sister with her debilitating scoliosis?

ajarbaday — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:07:27 -0800

Why has my sister's scoliosis suddenly resulted in partial paralysis, and what treatments are available to help her? My younger sister is 15, and was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was around 10 years old. Since then, she has grown tremendously and her scoliosis has gotten much worse. About a month ago, she had a case of the swine flu that weakened her muscles and caused a collapse at school. She was pulled out, and has been at home since, but her walking and mobility are seriously impaired. While she has gone out a few times, she will often wake up and not be able to move her feet or legs. At these times her feet are stuck in a position that looks like a ballerina straining to be on point. She complains of back, neck and shoulder pain.
She just began seeing an osteopath, after going to several specialists who were unable to diagnose her condition. The osteopath is confident it's a muscular condition that is caused by a twisting of her spine, and is treating her with muscular therapy.
In the meantime, she can't do much of anything and recently had a nasty fall while trying to use the bathroom. This means that she has to be babysat almost all the time, and meanwhile we don't really know if she'll get better.
I realize that AskMeFi is not a medical community, but I'm hoping that someone will be able to share experience or advice for dealing with this type of situation. She lives in the Gainesville, FL area.

What jobs can a 14-year-old apply for?

not_on_display — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:14:51 -0800

My son's 14, and wants to get a job. For instance, the local grocery stores employ kids his age--but they are not hiring at the moment. And state law says he can't operate a fryolater, among other reasonable restrictions listed here. So, who hires 14-year-olds? What alternatives, over- or under-the-table, would you suggest? He shovels walks in the winter, and sometimes goes door-to-door offering to take on odd jobs for small change.

Thanks!

How best can I help a naive teen spend a week in Paris

tavegyl — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:57:32 -0800

My baby sister will spend a week in Paris alone and is travelling overseas for the first time. What practical arrangements can I make from a distance to help her have the best time she has ever had? My 17 year old sister and I were supposed to meet in Paris for her birthday in early November. She's flying from Pakistan, I was taking the train from London. Unfortunately it's looking increasing unlikely that my visa will arrive in time. This is the first time she'll be out of South Asia, let alone travel in a non-English-speaking country by herself. Given this, I am looking for suggestions on the following:

- Good, comfortable friendly B&Bs, centrally located in a safe area, where the owners and staff will take good care of a foreign teenager who doesn't speak French. I'm paying for the holiday as a present, but would prefer it to not bankrupt me (say under 80 euros a night, preferably much less). Ideally it would be a nice little place, very comfortable, with staff whom I can speak to and who will help her navigate the city, keep an eye on her, but not be pushy or enfolding.

- Any long distance arrangements I can make? Eg ensure there is a mobile phone SIM and a guidebook waiting for her? Week-long tickets to public transport?

- How can I ensure she has cash once she's there? I was planning to do all the spending, and her Pakistani card may not work overseas. Is there a way I can make sure there's money waiting for her once she arrives?

- Any tips for a kid in this situation? My own feeling is that a week alone in Paris as your first trip abroad should be a superb adventure. At the same time I don't want her to feel intimidated or nervous alone. Any suggestions on how I can make it easier - or indeed if I should help at all? Any off-the-beaten-track places and events?

- Finally, here's the big sister worrying. I've never been to Paris, and whilst I've been travelling alone since 16, I was the dorky gawky teen, not the one who gets modelling offers. My sister is naive, beautiful and completely lacking in street smarts. In Pakistan there are societal structures (eg chaperonage, class, honour etc) protecting her when she's alone. What sort of warnings should she have about being taken advantage of, sleazy men, mugging, etc?

Head lice ethics.

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:30:15 -0800

Teenager with head lice. How/who to notify without embarrassing her? After about a week of wondering, we got visual confirmation tonight that my daughter's itchy scalp is, indeed, caused by head lice. She asked to stay home tomorrow while we do the shampoo treatment and wash a hundred loads of laundry, but here's the rub: she slept over at a friend's house on Saturday and used one of her friend's pillows. I feel that I should call her friend's mother and give her a heads-up, but I also remember being 15 and know how utterly humiliated I would have been if any of my friends had known I had lice. Any advice on whether and how to broach this conversation?

How much can a teenager charge for yard work?

bobertdude — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:48:52 -0800

What would be a fair price to ask? Per hour? Square foot? Give me some input. I'm starting a little business where I do people's yard work. I'm only 16 years old and don't have "professional" experience with yard work; I just do it around the house. How much should I charge? What specifically would I be expected to do?

Ideas for a challenging google-based rescue mission

vizsla — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:21:20 -0800

You're on an island in the middle of nowhere. You need to locate a used motorbike in a faraway country (Netherlands) where you don't speak the language for a next to nothing price. All you have is the internet. How do you proceed? A friend of mine was awoken in the middle of the night to find her 17 year old son crying in the bathroom. He had set his sights on a used motorbike he found advertised for 100 Euros. He took too long getting the necessary paperwork together and the owner had sold it before he could pick it up. He was devastated. In his mind, this was like the start of a new future for him. I offered to help set his mind on the right path again. Recently lost his father.

What are Kids Reading?

Raybun — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:07:33 -0800

My grandson was given Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe to read in his English class. I read it and loved it. What are middle and high schoolers given for assigned reading these days?

Must See in D.C.

misha — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:21:58 -0800

Cheap eats and must-sees in D.C. for three adults and three teens? Bonus for any vegetarian-friendly options! We're taking our guys and heading to D.C., where we'll be joining our oldest son's girlfriend and her Mom for five days. We have tickets to the Capitol tour and plan to stop in the Holocaust museum, but we need suggestions for inexpensive places to eat (girlfriend is a vegetarian), as well as your picks for must-sees in town. I'd prefer places you've actually visited, thanks.

Also, I've always enjoyed the Smithsonian--any suggestions for exhibits our teens might especially enjoy as well? We have goths, metalheads and gamers to entertain in the party.

unlike the former president, my son inhaled

headnsouth — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:02:27 -0800

Help me respond appropriately to my teenage son's marijuana use. My son is 15, a long-haired, skateboarding, guitar-playing punk who has begun smoking pot. I caught him red-eyed today, but I have been suspicious on another occasion, and I'm guessing he's done it maybe a half-dozen times. He is, of course, a good kid, has been earning As and Bs this year for the first time ever, loves kids & animals, serves lunch at a local shelter, mows the neighbor's lawn, etc. He is also lazy and stubborn, and sometimes disrespectful. He's typical. I worry about him because ... well, because of the usual reasons, I guess. I'm his mom.

I read this thread, which has some good advice in it, but because my son is not in trouble, or rebelling, or slipping in school, and I'm not concerned about pot per se the way the OP in the other thread was, I'm seeking additional responses. My feelings about pot are that it ought to be legal, but it isn't. I have talked to my boys (my other son is 13) about both safety concerns and legal concerns. They know I've done it, they know my opinions about its legal status, and they also know the consequences are more punitive now, and that it's stronger and more anonymous (therefore risky) than it was back in the day. (They do not know that I still occasionally --- like once a year occasionally --- get high. I don't think it has any bearing on the situation, but I'm putting that out here for full disclosure.)

I've addressed it with them the same way I've addressed sex with them --- I don't want you to do this at all unless and until you're old enough to understand and face the consequences, but if you're going to do it, you have to protect yourself.

Bringing these boys up has been easy up to now. All previous issues have been pretty much black-and-white. Yes you can do that, no you can't do this. Here's why. OK mom. I think whatever success I've had raising them so far can be attributed to my being consistent with regard to rules and punishment/reward. I'm ambivalent about this one, because acknowledging that they might/will smoke pot comes very close to approving it.

I busted him under these circumstances: he was hanging out with friends at a local skatepark after school, and when I left work & the grocery store I told him I'd stop by there on my way home to give him a drink. So I did, and when he leaned in to the car to talk for a minute before I went home, I saw the telltale look. I had him sit in the car with me and we talked a little bit. He admitted to it, but the discussion was actually more about his denial and talking back to me than about the pot itself. He was stoned though, so it would have been pointless to discuss it in depth then. I found myself surprisingly unprepared as well. So we tabled it and I will bring it up later this weekend.

I don't want him to smoke pot. He's going to smoke pot. To forbid him to smoke pot is inviting secrecy and lies. To allow him to smoke pot is endorsing dangerous, illegal activity.

My brother, whose opinions about pot are similar to mine, thinks I'm making a mistake by not setting down firm unbendable rules about this. His oldest child is 9. My brother also thinks I'm being alarmist about the legal consequences and the quality/purity/strength/questionable sources of whatever my son might be smoking.

So. What advice do you have for a mother who needs to talk with her teenage son about smoking pot? He is looking for his first summer job, he's practicing driving (although he won't get his license for at least a year if not later), and we're coming up on a summer where he's not in school but I'm at work.

EconomyFilter: Teenage needs work. A bit apprehensive and unsure on how to get it.

seandq — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:36:03 -0800

EconomyFilter: I'm a sixteen year old desperately needing a part-time or summer job. I can't help but feel bad taking away from those who really NEED it though. Long story short, I just got a car for a late sixteen birthday gift. I've wanted it for a long time, and it's great, but as a condition, my parents would like me to start working to help chip in for insurance, gas, and the car payment as well as my sometimes expensive social life.

The problem is twofold: first off, I feel bad taking what could be a job from someone who really needs it (like someone on WIC or food stamps) away from them (call me a bleeding-heart) and secondly, I'm still hesitant on the idea of work. Don't get me wrong, wherever I'm hired, I'll work diligently and faithfully but I'm still a bit rusty on the process. I've filed ~15 applications for local chain stores (ranging from Walgreens to Books-a-Million to Cracker Barrel) all online via SnagaJob.com and no response at all. Target was courteous enough to email me back saying no.

I have only a few restrictions, but I'm willing to waive them if it's what it takes to get me hired. I'd prefer not fast food, and by fast food I mean McD's/BK. I can humble myself to be a Barista, Burrito Engineer or a Sandwich Artist if it is so. I'd really prefer a job in an environment that's a bit more..intellectual..than McDonald's, but frankly I'll take what's available.

So cliffs for those still with me:
1) I need a good teenage part-time/summer job in this environment.
2) I need to know the best approach for job application - I'd love to have a job where I could submit a resumé, but I'm either underage for a position like that, or they are full-time positions and I'm not dropping out of school, so it's just filling out the form for now.

Thanks for your time. I appreciate it!

Should we go with a pay-as-you-go cellphone from kajeet?

misha — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:00:19 -0800

We think it would be a good idea for our teens to have (a) cell phone(s) . We're considering kajeet and a pay-as-you-go plan. Good/bad idea? Details inside. Here's the situation:
Our kids, like most teens, have lots of social/school-related activities going on, and we need a way to contact them and vice versa to arrange pick-up times, in case of emergencies, the usual stuff.

I have an Iphone (original, not new hotness version), and use AT&T, but only because that's all that's available. AT&T phone service is awful in our area--people can't even hear me when I'm calling from our home. My spouse's Blackberry (Verizon) has great service, but it's a work phone, and they pick up the tab.

We don't feel there would be any savings for us, in our situation, to go with some kind of family plan. I can't see making anyone else go with AT&T, and he can't share his Verizon (which is much better) with us all.

Our oldest hates talking on the phone unless he absolutely has to (prefers gmail), but our youngest is more social and I could see him accidentally racking up overages (something other parents have told us horror stories about). We'd prefer to keep it simple, not have to pay a lot of incremental fees, and just set a reasonable limit on the phone(s).

So, we are considering a pay-as-you-go-plan with Kajeet, which offers budgeting options (so the kids can pay for more time if they want it) and parental controls if we need them. Anyone have any experience, good or bad, with them specifically?

Also, if you have a "pay as you go" plan with your kids with another carrrier, how is that working out for you? Is this the right way to go, in our situation, or are we making a huge mistake?

Finding jobs for 14-16 year olds

Pogo_Fuzzybutt — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:58:13 -0800

Help me help my son find work this summer... My son recently turned 14. When discussing plans for the summer, he indicated that he would like to find a job, so he can have his own money and some independence. I know in WI kids under 16 can have jobs with limited hours and so on, but I've been completely unsuccessful in finding any listings.

I'm comfortable with him working - he's smart and fairly driven, so I think he could do well. I want to encourage him in this. He's not so interested in a freelance or entrepreneurial thing so much as he is in trading his time and effort for money.

So, hive-mind - how can I find jobs for an earnest young man in Madison, WI ?

If I knew then, what I know now...

nineRED — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:36:29 -0800

Writing a finance 'book' for my niece...What do you know now about money that you wish you knew at 17? What have you learned the hard way? My niece will be starting college next year and I wanted to buy her a finance book aimed at teenagers in an effort to help her learn about money, pitfalls/scams to avoid, and generally helpful hints about credit, saving, taxes, etc. However, I have instead decided to write a personalized ‘book’ for her filled with beneficial tips, stories, and examples gleaned from various sources.
What would YOU include in a book like this? What do you know now about money that you wish you knew at 17? What have you learned the hard way? Additional topics I should be covering, such as credit cards, car payments, income taxes, credit scores, insurance, online banking, scams, and saving, as well as helpful anecdotes or tips (“Don’t sign up for a credit card on campus just to get the free frisbee…”) are welcome. Bonus points for college-specific stories.
No one taught me about money when I was growing up and I want to make sure that my niece has all the information she needs to make wise decisions.

Emancipated Minor in Ontario, Canada

Danniman — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:04:47 -0800

A 16 year old seeking Emancipated Minor status. What is the legal process involved for this in Ontario, Canada? I have a 16 year old friend ( *Jane* ) who wants to be an emancipated minor in Ontario.

Jane is clinically depressed and as of this writing, waiting for her therapy to start. She is living with uncaring parents and an emotionally abusive mother.

She is trying to get away from her parents but being a minor prevents her from doing so. What is the law in Ontario regarding minor emancipation? Would she require her parents' permission to be emancipated? Would she be reported as a runaway if she leaves home without telling anyone?... Google didn't turn up any helpful results.

What to do? When to intervene?

terrier319 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:37:48 -0800

He's 14 years old and his grades are starting to slip. Does anyone have experience with this? Seems to have trouble focusing -- easily distracted and a typical procrastinator. Generally good student until the last year. Loves video games and waits for the sound of the garage door to open before running to his books so his mom won't see him on the TV. Likes to take an IPOD to bed so he can listen to tunes while falling off to sleep -- but that's history now as the parents have cracked down. Good kid and otherwise fine -- seems well-adjusted and generally engaged, with normal teenage social awkwardness. But the dropping grades are a concern and teachers tell the parents the child seems often "elsewhere" in class.

What's going on? Should the family pursue medication for a possible ADD issue? Lock away the video games? Establish a TV moratorium?

I realize these are complicated situations and I look back on my own adolescence recalling distractions and how peer pressure and parental expectations wreaked havoc. Any suggestions or experience with this? It has become a growing concern. Thank you.

Because you can't make up an an uninformed mind.

orange swan — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:49:24 -0800

My neighbour’s eighteen-year-old daughter, let’s call her “Kay”, is in her last year of high school. She’s trying to decide on a post-secondary course of study for next year. I suspect she’s in the same boat that I, and most of my friends, were in when we graduated high school. To wit: we had virtually no idea of what educational and career options were actually out there; very little idea of what our temperaments and strengths actually were, let alone what kind of career path would suit them; and no clue how to go about researching and finding these things out. Moreover, I don't know how good her school's guidance counsellors are, but mine were next to, if not worse than, useless. What information and resources are out there for Kay to give her a good sense of what her options are and help her figure out what area of study would interest her and suit her abilities? I don’t want to overwhelm her with a mountain of very complex information; anything I give her needs to be straightforward and accessible, and also tailored to Canada/Ontario/Toronto. She probably would be best to go to a community college rather than a university at this point, and I have thought of having catalogues mailed to her so she can browse through them and see what interests her. One thing that was really helpful to me when I was picking out a course of study was a listing of all the programs in Ontario by topic — is there anything like that available now?

I'm Terrible with (In)decisions.

Precision — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:06:08 -0800

Help me decide if I want this 98 Neon to be the first car I buy, for use in the rest of this year of high school, and college next year. I'm looking to buy my first real car. I've been driving a beat up 1992 Ford Tempo that my dad bought for me to use for like $800 for the past two years or so now. I've been browsing Craigslist and the local classifieds for a few weeks now, and recently found a car that interested me.

I found a 1998 Dodge Neon with ~85k miles on it. It's a five speed, and it's in very good condition. There's 2 very, very small dings on it, one scratched a dime-sized bit of the paint off, the other is literally not noticeable unless you run your hand along the entire body. The interior seems nice.

It bluebooks at ~$2050 Kelly Blue Book, and it's probably a upper-level "Good" condition car. Not excellent, but very good.

I took it in to see our mechanic today (a good friend of ours) and he said the car was in surprisingly good condition for a sporty, ten year-old five-speed. ( "Most sporty 5-speeds I get this old are.... let's just say the owner had some fun with them." ) He said the timing belt would need to be replaced pretty soon, since he can't tell how old this one is, and a snapped one would be very bad. He expects the catalytic converter to crack or break in about 25k miles. He says the brakes have another 30k in them easily, probably a bit more if any of those miles are highway miles. I'll probably offer $2100 for the car.

I need this car for the remainder of this school year and summer, primarily for driving to school (4 miles away), work (3 miles away), and work (7 miles away), and for the next couple years (as many as I can pull out of it) for college. I'm either attending the University of Arizona, or Stanford University (if I get in, chances are *never* good with things like that). UA is about 70 miles north, and I'd probably make a trip back home twice a month. While I'm on campus, I expect my car would get very little use. Also, I have a couple of good friends up there, we'd probably trade rides back home instead of taking every car we have back. If I end up at Stanford, I'll sell the car to my dad, and not take a car to school.

My resignations are: pretty bad safety ratings (Here). I've already had a friend from high school (now a sophomore at ASU) get in a fairly bad wreck coming home for a long weekend. Now, it was his fault, he was driving late at night and quite tired, apparently. I'm a very conservative driver, don't speed (more than 1-2 over, at least), and pay attention. Also, I want this car to at least last me 2-3 years, preferably to graduation. My dad says that if I save for the rest of this year and get to 3.5-4k spendable money, I can buy a car that'll last me longer, but I'm not convinced. 85k/1998 is hard to beat at this amount. Also, the Neon gets 32/42 mpg city/hwy. (:

So, concerned mothers, college students, car junkies, anyone... what do you think?

How to keep an active teen from climbing the walls while he recovers.

Breav — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:12:47 -0800

How can I keep my convalescing teenager busy after surgery? My teenage son is having surgery next week. He'll convalesce on the couch full time for a full week, followed by part-time for several weeks using a passive exercise machine. I'm looking for ideas to keep him entertained while he is uncomfortable and mostly immobile. I'm hoping his friends visit, but he'll need stuff to do while they are in school and out doing stuff teenage boys do.

Movie suggestions would be good. He likes things like Monty Python, Simpsons, South Park, SpongeBob... essentially anything that makes him laugh. We're also trying to hook up an XBox 360 in the room, so suggestions of games would be good, too. He reads Mad Magazine and Blender, similar reading ideas welcome. And what else am I not thinking of?

teaching tolerance to a troubled teen!

logic vs love — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:26:44 -0800

How can someone help a teenage boy who has been showing some hateful, homophobic behavior recently? My boyfriend's 14-year-old nephew has gotten in trouble at school twice recently, once for tagging school walls with 'yes on prop 8', and once for calling another kid 'fag' along with some other gross insults. He's also taken to drawing swastikas on himself under the (baffling! insane!) belief that nazis were only against homosexuality and were on the right track (and never mind the fact that he's definitely not white himself).

There's a whole bunch of backstory that I probably don't need to get into, but Nephew has lots of issues going on right now, and my boyfriend has often been put in the 'father' role by his sister, Nephew's (adopted) mom. She's asked him to talk to Nephew again about this, but he's just lost as she is.

No one can pinpoint any reason for his new obsession. Nephew has said that another boy in his class was hitting on him, but we have no idea if that's actually true (he has a history of not being very honest). He's also being raised in a religious house where homosexuality is considered wrong, but to the best of our knowledge, no one in his family is specifically hateful towards or intolerant of gay people.

What can he/we do to help? How do you help a teenage boy understand that being gay is Okay, or at the very least, that his behavior is ugly, hurtful, inappropriate, and unacceptable?

turn it up to eleven!

headnsouth — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:25:21 -0800

What equipment do my teenagers need to start a garage band and record/edit using a macbook pro? With christmas and a couple of birthdays coming up, I would like to get my kids set up with some basics for recording. Kid1 has an Ibanez electric guitar and Kustom Dart 10fx amp. Kid2 has a decent voice & stage presence. What they need to get started are a microphone, bass guitar, headphones, wah-wah pedal for the guitar, a means of recording onto the mac, and editing software. Drums/keyboards & video will come later but suggestions for those and other components I haven't thought of are welcome and appreciated. Also, kid1's guitar does not have a whammy bar so it's only a matter of time before he needs to upgrade.

I have been to two local music stores in our new city, and have found them to be surprisingly unhelpful. Maybe because I'm the mom? Or maybe because I'm not a school with 100 kids renting expensive horns. More likely because I don't even know enough to frame my questions intelligently.

There is some equipment advice in this AskMe but I need to know how to put the components together, and how to get them onto the mac, as well as what to buy.

So please type very slowly and hold my hand, as I am both a PC person and a (regular, old-school, acoustic) piano player. In fact not only am I a PC person but I am a corporate-type PC person who has always had access to a PC guy at work.

How to help a teenage girl do what she loves?

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:55:18 -0800

Two part interrelated question: 1) How to improve the self esteem of a 16 year old girl 2) who can't act but would like to be a good actor Our 16 year old daughter has finally morphed into a self absorbed, brooding teenager. Ok fine, that's natural. But it's also become clear that she has serious self esteem issues.

Back story: she's never been a popular with other kids, though adults adore her gentle and helpful nature. She has always had few friends and been shy and needy.

Over the past year though, she's gained a circle of very good friends and generally blossomed. However, the brooding moodiness typical of teenagers had come about and her general attitude has negative, while her old neediness had returned and through conversations, we've discovered that the self esteem issue has only gotten worse (feels she can't do anything right, sees high school for the boring warehouse it is, the world sucks etc, etc)

Yesterday I asked her what she thought she was good at, but she couldn't think of anything, so I asked her what she would like to be good at and the instant reply was 'Acting.' She's taken acting classes and programs before, but her shyness seemed to get in the way and she was consistently picked for the smaller roles and eventually seemed to move on to other things.

We want her to be happy and proud of herself. How can we help her achieve this either separately or through acting? Is the idea that we help become good at something the right direction?

help me understand goth/punk

viva viola — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:24:33 -0800

My 15 yo daughter’s style is becoming increasingly goth/punk - black clothes, metal chains and belts, skulls and daggers, thick black eyeliner, and she recently colored her hair blue. I’ve been cool about it so far though I don’t like the whole darkness/hardness of it all. She’s starting high school this year. She’s an honor student and a thespian. None of her friends dress like this. Should I be worried, or is this just a stage?

Help me be a cool comics-buying mom

ClaudiaCenter — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:16:13 -0800

In search of dark, gory, female-centered, Asian, did I mention dark, comics/graphic novels. Help me be cool! My 17 year old foster kid (lesbian Asian girl) is turning 18 in a couple of weeks. I want to get her some cutting edge comics and/or graphic novels. She likes female, Asian, dark, gory, goth(ic). Any suggestions?