Ask Azure

Dear Azure,
My baby brother Calvin is cute and all, but he’s gotten all the attention and no one cares about me anymore. Everyone’s always holding him and playing with him and I just get left out. Will it ever change, ‘ cuz I’m only 9? I like Calvin, but I’m mad at him now also!
Sincerely – Left Out

Dear Betrayed,
It is very normal to feel unappreciated when a younger sibling comes around. It is your parents’ natural instinct to pay attention to your little brother, because he needs it a lot at his age. I suggest that you buy Calvin a stuffed tiger and a red and black striped shirt, and see where that takes him… Anyone? Kidding… Kidding… Anyway, try talking to your parents, and let them know that you’re really missing them right now, suggest that maybe you do something together and maybe they can leave the li’l tike with a babysitter. If they say no, don’t feel bad; new parents are usually tired all the time, because they’re worn ragged. If that is the case, maybe you can spend time together by pitching in around the house. Maybe you could help one of your parents hang laundry while you talk about your day, or dry dishes while they wash. Even if it feels like work, it will give you some quality time, and help them out too, so it may give them more time to spend with you afterwards. Your parents still love you every bit as much as they always have, but their attention is just more divided. Parents are human too, and they can get stretched pretty thin. I really hope this helps!
Your Friend – Azure Bays

Hi Azure,
I’m a Sophomore in High School and I have a heavy problem. There’s a boy I like a lot (we’ll call him Tom) and he’s best friends with another boy who’s always been just my BFF, nothing more. Recently, I can tell that my BFF knows I like Tom, get it? Now my BFF is all mad at me and has got total attitude, in fact, we can’t even hang out anymore like we used to without a bunch of stress in the air. Well, Tom just asked me out to today at school and I said yes. Yikes! What do you think I should do?
Signed – Miss Confusion Dear Miss Confusion,

That’s rough. Try and think about why your friend is behaving in this way. The way I see it, there are a few obvious reasons: first, maybe your friend would actually like to be a little more than friends. On the other hand, maybe he knows something about your Mr. Wonderful that you don’t. Maybe this guy you like is a heartbreaker, and your friend doesn’t want to see you get hurt. Another possibility, is that your friend is worried that if the two of you break up, he’ll have to be the one in the middle of it. Talk to him, and find out why he doesn’t want you to be with this guy. See if his reasoning makes sense, and consider your options. If you still want to be with this guy, tell your friend how much it would mean to you to have both his friendship and a chance at a relationship with this guy. If your friend refuses to see things your way, consider whether this guy is really worth ruining what sounds like a great longtime friendship. Good luck, Miss!
Sincerely – Azure Bays

Dear Azure,
I chose you to answer my question because I like your name, and I think that we probably have a lot in common.

Ok, so my name is Tammy and i’m 12 years old in 7th grade. There is this girl @ school, who I thought was my friend, but now I’m having second thoughts. Ok, so she’s horrible at math and I’m okay at it; so last week I caught her copying off me on a big test. I don’t know what to do, because I really value our friendship (we’ve been friends since 5th grade) but I don’t want to be cheated off of. I also don’t want her to get in trouble. I’m afraid that if I tell her not to do it again, she might not want to hang out anymore.
Please Help – Tammy

Dear Tammy,
Wow! That’s a tricky situation! I had to think about that one for a while. Here’s what I think. You said that this friend is really important to you, and that you didn’t want to get her in trouble, so I think you kind of answered yourself there, as to whether or not she is your friend. She is, but she’s a friend who made a really bad choice. Speak with the teacher in private, and tell him or her that somebody has been cheating off of you, but you don’t feel comfortable saying who. Request a seat change, at least during tests. That should stop her from cheating off of you again.
Your friend – Azure Bays