The Long and Short of It

Have any of you ever argued with your mom over clothes? I didn’t used to, but now it seems like every time I go shopping with my mom, we get in a fight. Mostly it’s over how long (or short) the clothes are; and that’s exactly what we argued about yesterday afternoon. I was trying on skirts for school. I thought they were really cute. But my mother insisted that every skirt I tried on was too short. And in the end, I didn’t get anything!

            I’m not sure how to explain to my mom that everyone in school wears short skirts. (Especially the Pops, not that I’m trying to be like them or anything.) If I tell her everyone else is doing it, she’s sure to say no. She absolutely hates when I say, “But everybody else is.” She usually says something like, “If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too?” Which is totally beside the point.

            Just so you know, it’s not like the skirts I was trying on were so short. In fact, most of them were a lot longer than the ones Dana and Claire were wearing in school today. They were just normal length skirts—at least normal for middle school.

            So how can I convince my mom to let me be a little stylish once in a while? Is it even possible? Or should I just stick to wearing jeans for the rest of my life?

            Thanks for all your help!
            TTYL

            XXOO

            Jenny

School Scaredy Cat!

We are doing the coolest thing in science class. We’re studying how roller coasters work. Okay, I know that doesn’t sound particularly cool. But when you consider the fact that the entire sixth grade is going to an amusement park next Wednesday to ride roller coasters, it definitely rises on the coolness meter.

            I can’t wait to go to Seven Wonders Amusement Park! There are some really awesome rides there, like the carousel, the frog hopper, and the bumper cars, all of which are a lot of fun. But people don’t go to Seven Wonders for those rides. They go for the roller coasters.

            They have lots of different kinds of roller coasters at Seven Wonders. There’s the Coney Island Coaster, which is a wooden roller coaster that makes this wild clacking noise when it climbs up the track. There’s the Lunatic Loop, which goes completely upside-down…twice. And then there’s the Black Hole. That one’s my favorite. It goes upside down three times and turns on its side almost constantly. And the whole time you’re in total darkness!

            There’s just one bummer about next Wednesday’s trip. I don’t think Chloe’s going to come. It turns out that my brave friend Chloe (she never has trouble standing up to Addie, Dana, and the rest of the Pops) is a big chicken when it comes to roller coasters. I tried to tell her that she doesn’t have to go on them. She can go on the more mellow rides, or she can try to win a stuffed animal at some of the games. But she doesn’t want to hear it.

            I think I know what’s bothering her. Even though Chloe acts like the Pops don’t bother her when they make fun of her clothes, I know sometimes it bugs her. And if the Pops figure out that Chloe is afraid of the roller coasters (and they will figure it out—those girls can smell fear 100 miles away!), they’ll never let her live it down. Chloe can tolerate being told that she’s not fashionable. What she can’t tolerate is having the whole school knowing she’s afraid of something. Especially because this time it would be true.

            I really hate the Pops. Even when they’re not actually doing anything, they still manage to ruin everything. That’s because everyone else in school is always trying so hard to wear something that will impress them, or say something they’ll think is smart or funny. Deep down, we all want that Pop approval. Or at the very least, we all want to avoid their cruel disapproval. I know it’s stupid to be that way, but that’s the reality at our school. Is it like that at your school, too?

            Do you guys have any ideas on how I can convince Chloe to come on the trip with me? It would be such a bummer for her to miss out. And I know I’d have a lot more fun with her than without her.

            Thanks for your help.

            XO

            Jenny

             

 

Advice Needed!

 

           

            Okay, I’m a little stressed. Tomorrow is parent-teacher conference day in my school. It should really be called parent-teacher-student day, because my middle school makes us come to the conferences, too. My teachers say this is a good thing because being at the conference lets us talk about what we’re having the most trouble with and how we can fix the problems. But I would really rather not have to go. 

            It’s not that I’m doing poorly in school or anything. I’m pretty much a B or B+ student, which isn’t so bad. What’s worrying me is that I’ve never been to one of these conferences before, and I don’t know what to expect. Are my teachers going to go through every grade on every test, paper, and homework assignment? I hope not. I bring home most of my tests, but every now and then, I mess up on a pop quiz, and I don’t see the point in bringing those to my parents’ attention. Have you ever done something like that? I think everyone has. Except maybe my friend Josh. He’s pretty much a genius, and I doubt he’s ever messed up on a test or a quiz. Anyway, I don’t do that very often, but I still think my parents would be kind of mad if they found out.

            I guess the hardest part is that it’s going to be three adults and me in the room. I’m definitely going to be outnumbered. Not that my parents and my teachers are the enemy or anything. It’s just that when grown-ups get together, they sort of form a team, and I’m not part of that team. How can I be? I’m only in sixth grade. 

            Does your school have conferences with the kids in the room? How did yours go? Is there anything you think I should do or say when I’m there? I’ll take all the advice I can get.

            Thanks.

            xoxo

Jenny

Party Problem

Oh boy, do I have a problem. I’m really hoping you guys can help me out, because I’m having a tough time with this one.

            Yesterday, I got an invitation to a party at Josh’s house. All my friends are going to be there. It’s not his birthday or anything; it’s just a party he’s having because March doesn’t have any major holidays, and it always seems to go on forever without a break. I was really excited about the party, until my parents told me that we have family friends coming to town that weekend.

            These friends, Jasper and Connie, are really nice people. My mom went to college with Connie, so I’ve known them my whole life. They have a daughter, Melissa, who is in fifth grade. She’s the problem.

            Melissa’s nice, and I don’t mind hanging out with her when it’s just her and me. But my mom told me I couldn’t go to Josh’s party unless I brought Melissa with me, and the thing is, Melissa’s still in elementary school! And even though she’s only a year younger than I am, if I’ve learned one thing this year, it’s that there’s a huge difference between being in middle school and elementary school. Not only that, but I’ll be the only person Melissa knows at the party. That means she’ll probably be glued to my side the whole time. I know that sounds cruel, and I don’t mean to be. I’m just being honest.

            I really want to go to Josh’s party. But I don’t want to have to bring Melissa. So I’m torn. Do I forget the party and just hang out with Melissa? Or do I go to the party and bring her with me? What would you do?

Thanks for your help.

xoxo

Jenny

 

Addie's At It Again!

 I HATE ADDIE WILSON! Yes, I know if you put something in all caps you’re supposed to be screaming. That’s okay, because I am screaming. I really do HATE ADDIE WILSON! She told a seventh grader named Michael that I like him. And now, every time I see him in the hall, he gives me this funny look. And if he’s with his friends, they all start laughing.

 

Let me make one thing clear: I do not like Michael. I don’t even know him! Not really, anyway. Addie just got this stupid idea in her head when she overheard me telling Chloe that I liked his t-shirt. His t-shirt! Not him.

 

I don’t know if Addie misheard me, or if she heard me correctly and just decided to do something mean and embarrassing to me anyway. It really doesn’t matter. Either way it was mean, and I’m totally embarrassed. And now I’m spending every day going out of my way to avoid Michael whenever I can. If I see him coming down the hall, I quickly go the other way or dash into a nearby girls’ room. Unfortunately, I’m not always fast enough. That’s when he sees me and gives me those weird looks.

 

I wish I could think of a way to get back at Addie for this. But I’m not really good at doing mean things. It’s just not worth it because I always feel so guilty afterwards. Still, it would be really nice to see Addie squirm with embarrassment for once.

 

My friends keep telling me I’m overreacting and that this will all blow over in a few days. I sure hope they’re right. I don’t know how much longer I can take hiding in the school bathrooms. Those places can really stink sometimes!

 

I’ll keep you posted on what’s going on in my life. Be sure to keep me posted, too. Okay?

 

XOXO

Jenny