I wrote a letter to Dear Abby about a month ago, and this morning I got a letter back.
I was having trouble with this guy at school, “Max” who was calling me “Betty Crocker” every day during PE, and it was really humiliating. His friends were joining in, and it was hard. I wrote to Dear Abby for help, and she sent me a personal letter back.
She told me that “Max” and his friends teased me because they could get “a rise” out of me. She said they may feel superior when they hurt others, but deep down, it’s an act. She told me to ignore them, and if things got worse, talk to an adult for help. Then she said to hold my head high and smile, because they can’t hurt me unless I let them.
She was so right, it was really good advice. It is what anyone would have told me to do about it, but she said it better. She began by telling me why they were teasing me, and what it’s like “in their shoes” as Atticus in To Kill A Mocking Bird puts it. Then, she told me what I needed to do, which, deep daown I knew, but I needed to hear it.
I really understand what it means to give good advice now. Good advice is not what the other person wants to hear, but what they need to hear. When one gives advice, one must help the person to better understand the situation then give the advice, whether it is obvious or not.
