Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ

close

Columnists

Setting boundaries to navigate life

Q. Tell me how to set boundaries and keep them. I have trouble saying no to friends, for one thing. I also can’t seem to keep my mouth shut – I overshare in person and online. Finally, I put up with being put down by friends. They say itÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµ all a joke, but it doesn’t feel funny to me. I ...

Trump struggles to contain Epstein furor

By Richard Robbins Never in his political career has Donald Trump done so much dodging and weaving, so much bobbing and ducking. His friendship with the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein continues to haunt the president. And his administration's failure to release the "Epstein files" ...

Don’t change who you are to fit in

Q. Is it possible to re-invent myself in high school? I’m excited about leaving middle school – it sucked. I couldn’t find friends. I’m a writer and a poet at heart. I hope to hide those facets of my personality going forward, so I’m not made fun of so much. If no one knows me as I ...

OP-ED: Drag and brag: two faces of politics

I've been having trouble getting my head around two fairly recent political developments – one from the left, the other from the right. From the left: the unlikely ascent of the drag queen show. Not so long ago, drag shows, in which men dress as women, were considered side shows. In ...

Teen angst column resonates with adults

My column about middle school friendships hit home with many readers. Here are two responses. Response 1: I read your column on Thursday with a great deal of interest and a little bit of flashback. I’m in my early 40s and a parent of two elementary school girls. When I read the question from ...

Coping with pain of rejection

Q. Where are all my school friends? Summer is moving along quickly, and I feel abandoned. I try to connect but they ghost me. I don’t know what to do. I don’t think I did anything wrong, although I do know my friends are known to exclude other girls. I’ve seen that happen. I just didn’t ...