In honor of April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month, I retrieved a letter from my files. I’ve written the Ask Mary Jo column since January 2005, so I’m approaching two decades of weekly columns. I respond to every question I receive, but I do not always use them for the column. I continue ...
Q. I think my boyfriend is going to ask me to marry him after college graduation, which is in a couple of months. We’ve been together for three years. I remember you talking about relationships back in high school and I wonder if I’m too old to ask you how I can know if we’re really right ...
Q. How do you deal with a breakup and process your emotions properly? – 17-year-old Mary Jo’s Response: Break-ups can be difficult. You’re wise to consider processing emotions. There’s no one way to deal with a broken relationship. Have you considered this unwanted change in your ...
Q. I know your column is for teens, but I read it, and it helps me understand my 13-year-old. Maybe you can help me. She’s so different lately. She was such an easy-going child – few temper tantrums, even as a 2-year-old. Now, she’s hard to talk with. If I say, “Let’s talk,” she ...
Q. I feel like giving up. I was watching the Academy Awards with my family. I love theater, even though I’ve never had a chance to perform. I know all the songs to “Wicked” and “Hamilton,” and that’s only two of the musicals I love. I read screenplays. I love Shakespeare. My family ...
Q. I recently went to my first funeral. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. The rituals seemed bizarre to me. Everyone stood around. Most people filed past the immediate family offering condolences. I mumbled something and got away from the casket as fast as I could. Is there such a thing ...
