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TAGGED : UPMC Washington Teen Outreach Common Ground Teen Center

Spilling the tea on energy drinks

Q. Please settle an argument with my mom. I drink what she says is too many energy drinks. I think I drink just enough to keep me sharp and they aid my cognition. She says in the hot summer they don’t hydrate me enough. I counter with the argument that, if I were stranded in a desert and only ...

Unplugging from too much online time

Q. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I need help with my online time. ItĢƵ only been a week since high school graduation and it hit me that I’m spending most of my days online. I should be happy. I’m all set for college in August, and the incredible effort I made to get ...

Teen fears loss of grandparent

Q. Is it strange that I’m a lot closer to my grandma than I am to my mom? I know my mom cares about me, but she doesn’t show it the way my gram does. I know how gram feels, not just because she says “I love you” to me every time she sees me or talks with me, but because she makes time ...

Trying to make sense of hate

Q. Will you please use my question in your column? I want to know why some people are so hateful about Pride. Let me explain. This is personal to me. My big brother is gay. HeĢƵ not only my big brother, heĢƵ my best friend. See, I had leukemia when I was 7. Technically, I still have it, but ...

Weigh pros, cons before taking gap year

Q. I think I want to take a gap year. I worked hard in high school, especially since 10th grade. My grades are great, and I got into my first-choice college. My family is happy, my teachers are proud, you know the drill. But I’m exhausted. Before you ask, no itĢƵ not that I want to forego ...

Adults share memories of puberty

Last weekĢƵ column about periods inspired comments. Here are a few: Comment 1: I so appreciated your column about periods. I’m nearly 69 and I still remember my confusion and embarrassment when I started my period at school in 6th grade. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me. I ...