"No Flip-Flop" Rule Is Not Cool!

Last year, a rule was made that flip-flops were not allowed to be worn at school. I understand that flip-flops are not worn all year long here, unlike in America where many people do. I also understand that our school is located in a more conservative area, but the rule could at least change to allow the kids wear them for a certain time of the year, or let them put flip-flops on once they are inside the school building .

Another reason why I think that students should be allowed to wear them is because our locker rooms and feet will smell a whole lot better. When it is hot outside, people sweat in their shoes. Then their shoes stink, which makes their feet stink. Also, flip-flops are very convenient and easy to wear,. I do not really see a problem with flip-flops if nobody goes out of the school or out in public near the school with them.

Dear Aunty Jen,

Dear Aunty Jen,
My husband and I are raising four beautiful children. Our oldest daughter, age 15, has admitted to us that she has been drinking alcohol at parties on weekends. She says she never gets drunk but always has one drink because "everyone else is doing it" and she doesn't want to look "weird."



My husband and I never drink. Alcohol is not served in our home. Our daughter is an honor student and never has caused us any trouble. She says we should appreciate her honesty and not be angry with her. How should we handle this?



— Beside Ourselves in Bebek\



Dear Beside Ourselves,
I know this must be hard for you to deal with. You just want the best for your daughter, but she does not understand. I agree that you should appreciate her honesty, and you should tell her so. I do think, though, that alcohol is not a good habit to pick up, and is not something to do just because your friends say to. You should tell her that if her friends are the type that will only accept her if she drinks, then they are probably not good friends to have. You should also tell her that you love her and care about what she does, and you care that she is drinking underage. She is only 15, so you can still ground her from going to parties. You have authority over her, and parents are not supposed to be the child's friend, they are supposed to be the child's parent. You should just give her the "we are very disappointed in you" gig. That always worked on me. Sit her down and explain the seriousness of alcohol and its effects on people. Tell her you are not neccesarily angry with her but more disappointed and sad. Tell her how it makes you feel as her parent. Reiterate that in your house there will be no drinking of alcohol.

Dear Aunt Jen,

I have a friend, “Matilda,” who is very concerned about her weight. She is very thin, but she’s always saying she’s fat. She never eats lunch and she wears big, baggy clothing so we can’t really see what she looks like. I think she is anorexic, but when I said that to her, she reacted angrily and told me to mind my own business. What do you think I should do?




– Anxious in Antalya

 
Dear Anxious in Antalya,
I understand this situation. I was once accused of being anorexic myself. I was also very angry and annoyed, but mostly because I was not anorexic. I was just really skinny. Your friend, Matilda, sounds like she has really low self-esteem. There are many girls in the world that have this problem. What might help your friend is if you made her realize that she was thin by going to Wal-Mart and showing her how fat people really look. You could also tell her that she is beautiful the way she is, and it is not healthy for her to live this way. By doing this to her body she is destroying the temple of God. I would suggest therapy to her and tell her some of your issues so she feels like there is someone she can relate to and know that you are there for her.
 
 

Dear Aunty Jen,

Dear Aunty Jennifer,
I complained about the way my SAT Prep teacher grades our homework and tests. Somehow, the teacher found out it was me who complained and she treats me very coolly and angrily. What can I do to get in her good graces again—without “sucking up to her” or being a “brown-noser”?


--Sad in Selimiye

Dear Sad in Selimiye,
I understand your predicament. It is obvious that you care about what your teachers think about you, which is a good thing. The first thing you should do is go and apologize for saying something rude behind your teacher's back. You should also tell the teacher that you will respect them and their rules even if you do not neccesarily like them. You do not have to "suck up" to her, you just have to be honest with her and tell her how you feel in a civil manner. You could also behave in class and be on your best behavior, even if you do not agree with the teacher. Remember, your teacher is in control of you while you are in their class, so be polite and respect her.

Movie Review of Fireproof

Fireproof is an inspiring movie that we can all learn something from. It is a dramatic, Christian based story, filled with humor. I think that this movie is a very encouraging movie. It is about a firefighter named Caleb who is having problems with his marriage. His parents are trying to help him save his marriage. His number one rule as a firefighter is “never leave your partner behind, especially in a fire.” In the end he finds out that his number one rule at the firehouse should be his number one rule at his own house.
There is only one negative thing I could say about this movie. Some of the actors in the movie were not very good. There are lots of scenes that just sounded and looked fake. In several scenes you could really tell that they were not professionals.

Even though this movie did not have the best actors, it was still good. I liked this movie because it has three of my favorite things that I like to see in a movie: love, humor, and a happy ending. There was just the right amount of humor to make you laugh and just the right amount of touching moments to make you cry. It is a well-thought out movie. It also had a lot of drama in it to keep you wondering what was going to happen.

Another thing I liked about it was the way they implemented God into it so much. In the movie Caleb’s father gives Caleb a book called the Love Dare, to help with his marriage. It is a 40 day journey to help his marriage. The Love Dare was one of the most endearing parts to the movie, and the Bible verses at the bottom of every page were another good way to show that God should be in every part of a person’s life. I also liked how the parents would pray for their son while he was struggling with his marriage.

Overall Fireproof was just a good Christian movie. It was encouraging and gave lots of good advice to married couples. I personally learned a lot from this movie that I plan on using in the future. This movie shows not just to love your spouse and stick with them through hard times but also how important it is to have God in the center of marriage.