Dear Wendi: I feel ugly because I have red hair and freckles. Kids at school tease me about it, and it hurts my feelings. Please help!
Left Helpless
Dear Helpless: Kids love to tease, right? The kids at school have to find something to tease you about, and your red hair and freckles catch their attention. (See? Other kids are getting teased about everything from the size of their feet to the shape of their nose.) A dermatologist I talked to said freckles are part hereditary and partly caused by sun, so if you don’t want to get more, slap on that sunscreen! If you really hate them, a tinted makeup can hide them a little (when your folks say you’re old enough to use it). You can always change your hair color when you get older, too. But before you think of some big cover-up, have you stopped to look in the mirror? Red hair and freckles are beautiful! Why not love the looks you have and play them up big, with a cool hairdo and a bare face? (In other words, don’t hang your head-hold it up high!)
Dear Wendi: I dumped a boy for another boy. Now I like the first boy again. I told him and he said he did not care. What do I do?
Confused in Love, From Florida
Dear C.L.: Guy No. 1 probably is still hurt. If you’re sure you like him, tell him again. But this time, say you understand if he’s still mad or hurt -and tell him you’ll let him make the next move. (You decided to dump him, so let him decide if he wants to get back together.)
Dear Readers: Excuse me for running a parent’s letter here (advice from a parent; that’s something new…). But this is for the reader who wanted her mom to let her use deodorant, and any kids like her. (You could show your parents this mom’s letter, or do what her kid did.) Mrs. P. of Perris, Calif., writes: “When my daughter was 13…, she mentioned she was needing some deodorant. I said she was too young. She ran her hand under her arm, stuck it under my nose and said, ‘Mother, smell!’ I think all parents would give in under this circumstance.”
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Write to Wendi in Room 567, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60611. You can send in questions by computer (screen name KidNews) if you subscribe to Chicago Online. For info, call 1-800-922-0808.
