I couldn’t wait for summer so that I could wear my new suit to the pool and show off my fake figure. When the day finally came, I carefully placed the foam inserts under the mesh lining and went to the pool feeling more confident in myself than I ever had. I soon noticed that I was getting more attention from the boys than before. It was a great Saturday of fun and sun—until I took a plunge off the diving board.
When I swam back up to the top of the water, at first I didn’t realize what had happened. I had swum over to the shallow end and was standing up to talk with some of my friends when my sister swam over with a look of panic on her face, grabbed me and spun me around to face her. She told me that one of my inserts was missing and my chest was lopsided. I looked down in disbelief, but she was right! I quickly ducked under the water, removed the remaining foam insert and squeezed it tightly in my hand so that it could not be seen. At least now my body was even on both sides, but where was the missing one?
My sister and I looked around the pool frantically for several minutes before we discovered its whereabouts. It had floated to the top of the pool while I was finishing my dive and several boys had discovered it. They were tossing it back and forth to each other, laughing loudly and making crude comments. I wanted to die! Absolutely die! If the boys figured out where the foam insert had come from, I would become the object of horrible jokes. I would never want to swim at the pool again!
My sister, who was always my protector when other kids were doing something to hurt me, sped into action. She got out of the pool, grabbed our towels and stood by the edge of the pool. I quickly got out and wrapped the towel around myself as fast as possible. She then grabbed our belongings and made a fast break to the pool office, where she called our dad to pick us up. As we waited outside for our dad to get there, a cute boy that I had been making friends with that day came out to see why we were leaving so soon. I bunched the towel up in front of me and acted like I was cold so he wouldn’t notice that I was much flatter than the last time he had seen me. I was so relieved when our dad showed up to take us home.
My sister and I never did know what ended up happening to the wayward insert. Maybe it became a souvenir for some boy. What I do know is that was the first and last time I ever wore that beautiful new swimsuit!
Sandra Wallace
NO RODEO ®
NO RODEO. © Robert Berardi. Used by permission.
Girl to Girl
Ever felt happy one minute and sad the next? Experienced moments when you were awed by the beauty of love, friendship and family, and a few minutes later you found yourself screaming at your mom, hitting your brother and swearing at your friends? Wanted to fit in very much but still wanted your own identity? Scared to stand up for yourself, yet you know you were right? Trembled when your crush stood next to you? Then welcome to the preteen years of a girl! Enjoy your journey through these words of advice that might help.
Zainab Mahmood, 13; Rosephine Fernandes, 12
I wanted to be in the “in crowd,” but I was never good enough, skinny enough or pretty enough. What I learned through that whole experience is that it is better to be yourself than someone you are not. Your true friends are the ones who are always there for you, although they may not be “in.” People are not your real friends if they say you can’t do this or you can’t do that. True friends will let you be you. So to save yourself a lot of heartbreak and tears— be true to yourself!
Rebekah, 11
If you have a crush on a boy, some of the ways to tell that he likes you are:
(1) He is sweet to you. (2) He sits next to you or in front of you. (3) He starts avoiding you for about three weeks and starts acting strange around you. (4) He asks you out.
Christie, 12
Never write a letter to your crush saying you like him if you don’t really know him.
Daria, 13
Don’t worry about looking fat or whether or not your favorite music is “in.” Don’t ever worry about what other people think. I know it’s hard, but you have to try.
Emily, 12
When you have a crush on a person, take it easy. Usually our crushes in our preteen and teen years don’t last very long. It’s not worth changing your whole personality and who you are just for a person who might not be your mate forever.
Before you say something about somebody, keep it to yourself first, until you know the whole situation. You never know when your words are going to hurt someone. Right? Try hard not to gossip!
Remember to keep your friends’ secrets private and confidential!
Hannah, 13
1. Never eat spinach on a date.
2. Soda + fast car = messed up shoes.
3. Be true to your friends, b4 ya boyfriend!
4. Everyone is cool inside.
5. Laugh when peeps tease ya!
6. Sometimes you cannot even trust buds.
7. Do your science fair report in advance.
8. Play with you lil’ sib sometimes.
9. Once a month, be little again and play out a story with Barbies, Beanie Babies, My Little Ponies, etc.
10. Respect your ‘rents, but also speak up for what is right.
11. Popular girls can be insecure too.
12. Do not run in the store, cuz you might run into an old lady.
13. Don’t stuff your bra; you can always tell!
14. Be the first to apologize when you have an argument with your bud.
Fabiola, 11
It is so hard to tell a boy that you love him. Nobody likes to admit it, but everyone is afraid of rejection. The only way a boy can like you is for you to be yourself and think your own thoughts. Don’t underestimate your smarts or do anything stupid to make him think you’re dumb.
Sharnelle, 11
At times you may feel like no one cares or you have no friends. I have felt that way many times before, and I am sure plenty of other girls have. But that is not always the case. Someone cares about you. Have you ever heard the quote, “When everyone walks out, a friend walks in?” Instead of worrying about yourself, try to be a better person and step in where somebody else needs a friend. You never know, you could be meeting your next best friend!
Angie, 14
A zit cannot make the difference that a smile can.
Just because you have the rap CD that costs twenty bucks and has all the latest songs, it doesn’t mean you are cool.
The things you want to be, you already are. Be unique. Be yourself. Believe in your ideals.
Makeup doesn’t change who you are inside.
Don’t grow up too fast. You can never be a preteen again. Live these years to the fullest. There’s more to life than boys, kissing, clothes, CDs . . . and you, you, you. The world does not revolve around you.
Stand up for yourself. A strong “no” is something you can be proud of. Only weaklings agree to do drugs, smoke and lose their virginity at a young age. You are smart and cool if you are a nonsmoker and still a virgin.
Being popular doesn’t necessarily mean having boyfriends or being on the cheerleading squad. Don’t pressure yourself.
Your moms were preteens once, no matter how weird that seems. They know what you are going through.
Always carry an extra pad or tampon to school. You never know when you’ll get your period!
Your grades do matter, not how many parties you’ve attended. In the course of a lifetime, who cares if you’ve been invited to nineteen birthday parties in a month?
There is a world out there that needs your help. Every little idea counts. You can make a difference.
Zainab, 13, and Rosephine, 12
If a boy says that you are ugly, he is wrong. A boy has to know you to like you. And it is not about looking good—it is about what is inside. Everyone is unique.
Katheryne, 10
If your boyfriend wants to make you do something you are not ready to do, then he isn’t your true love. Your true love will wait until you are ready.
Tierra, 13
If
you have a crush on someone, don’t tell anyone except your best friend—or just keep it to yourself, because if you tell three people, they will tell everybody.
Valeria, 10
Everything will work out okay in the end, so don’t worry. You might have some embarrassing moments (SOME???), but you should know that it happens to everyone.
Don’t let people put you down; stand tall.
Sara, 13
Tell people what you want them to know before it’s too late.
Charlotte, 10
When you are in a fight with your friend and she asks, “Why are you mad at me?” don’t say, “You know why I’m mad at you!” because she might not know and she can’t fix it if she doesn’t know what she did.
Kristen, 11
NO RODEO ®
NO RODEO. © Robert Berardi. Used by permission.
Never go out with a boy who is a flirt. He will probably end up liking one of your best friends.
Alana, 13
No matter how mean people are to you, don’t try to fight back—it only makes matters worse. Just try to be friends.
Bryttan, 9
When your mom and dad are yelling at you, don’t yell back. You’ll just get in more trouble. Talk in a nice low voice or just call your boyfriend and complain about it to him after it is all over.
Kelly, 13
When things aren’t going too good for you or you are stressed out with family, school or guy issues, listening to music helps out a lot—or learn to play an instrument or sport.
Ann, 9
If you like someone, don’t try and keep it a secret, because when you do, you will feel all unwanted. Just tell him that you like him and see where it goes.
Kathryn, 10
Most boys think it is cute when you blush!! They try to make you blush for a reason and that reason is that they probably like you. If you like what he says that makes you blush, let him know you like it and that it means something to you.
Lyndsay (a.k.a. Blushes a Lot), 12
Seventh-grade guys aren’t too interested in romance.
Always put on deodorant after the gym.
Never stuff your cat in a backpack.
Don’t stay mad at your best bud—there is no one else like her.
Be happy that you have a family.
Mysticats, 12
If you like a boy, don’t change. If he doesn’t like you for you, you’re too good for him!
Marschae, 13
Boys can be really immature—but if you like one, don’t be nervous. Just go up to him and tell him. If he doesn’t like you, just move on—there will be another one around the corner.
School can be rough sometimes, but it’s better than staying at home with your little brother, ain’t it?
People who pester you are jealous of you or of things you have.
Becca, 11
Do Girls Belong?
If you want a place in the sun, you’ve got to put up with a few blisters.
Abigail Van Buren
I couldn’t pee in the woods. All the other scouts could just unzip their pants and go, but life doesn’t work that way for girls. We need more privacy than turning away can provide, as well as small comforts like toilet paper. I can do anything they can do, I thought, except pee in the woods.
When I joined Scouts Canada with my friend Brittany, we expected to be shunned because we were the first girls who had ever joined the 57th Scout Troop. Standing in the horseshoe the first night opposite each other, I saw fear in her eyes. I’m sure she saw the same in mine. One of the leaders, Scouter Mike (who also happens to be my dad), greeted all of us.
“Welcome to a brand new year of scouting! We are undergoing some changes this year. As you can see, we have a few new leaders and a few new scouts,” he said. All eyes turned to Brittany and me. “Let’s welcome Angelica and Brittany to our scout troop. I hope you will make them feel comfortable.”
When it came time to split into patrols, Brittany and I clung to each other. But I was put in one patrol, and she was put in the other. The other scouts in my patrol asked me questions like why I wanted to join scouting and why guys couldn’t join Girl Guides. My replies were simple. “I like camping,” and “Do you really want to learn how to paint your fingernails?”
The next few months followed the same pattern. Halfway through the year, another friend of mine named Christina joined. The three of us girls stayed together for a week. Then Brittany left the group. Not too long after that, Christina left the group as well, so I was left as the only girl in the scout troop. But by then I had solid friendships with most of the guys. I went to camps and watched the boys wrestle each other, while I sat on a nearby picnic table. When we went swimming, I wore a T-shirt and shorts over my bathing suit because I was afraid of being teased. A couple of the boys who I was really good friends with came up under water and flipped me.
In my second year of scouting, I was still the only girl. Just me and a few of the guys I had known from the previous year stayed in the group, and there were a bunch of new guys. But I was relaxed now and didn’t care quite so much about being accepted, as long I wasn’t disliked. A couple of the guys gave me a nice welcome. I was picked first for soccer, and I got to be APL—Assistant Patrol Leader—for my patrol. My dad wasn’t a leader for my troop that year, and that was fine with me. I wanted to be independent, to make friends and expand relationships on my own.
Then at one of the weekend campouts, we were down by the river, ready to go tubing. I was scared of the rapids, so I was trying to see the river and figure out which spot would be the safest and easiest to launch from.
“Whatcha looking for, Ang?” a guy named Ray asked.
“A spot where I can get out, going around the rapids,” I replied.
“Why? You can do those rapids. I’ve seen you rock climb, and that’s more dangerous than this!” Ray said.
“Um, I don’t know,” I told him.
“Hey! I’ll stay with you, okay?” Ray offered.
“I guess,” I hesitated. “You’re sure I won’t flip?”
“Positive!” laughed Ray, and he got into his tube. I looked around at the many friends I seemed to have accumulated.
“Hey, Angi! Come see this cool cave!” Tim called.
I looked over in amazement. Was he talking to me?
“Ain’t it cool? It’s slippery in some spots, so be careful,” he warned.
“You actually know my name?” I asked hesitantly. Tim was one of the new guys this year, and he had never started up a conversation with me before.
“Yeah.”
“I’m impressed,” I replied.
“Everyone knows your name. It’s not like we all hate you or something. You’re a really cool person. You’ve just got to be a little louder. You’re so quiet!”
“Thanks, Tim.” I muttered.
“Hey, just telling the truth!” he laughed. We floated off into rapids and rocks, and I didn’t fall out at all!
In the past two years, I’ve climbed walls and rocks, taken part in canoe trips and winter camps. I’ve snowshoed and hiked and cycled and floated down a river on a tube. It’s been a great time, and I’ve gotten to do a lot of things that a lot of girls haven’t had the chance to do. And so far, it hasn’t even been necessary to pee in the woods.
But if I had to . . . I probably could.
Angelica Haggert, 13
2
I’VE GOT
THE POWER
Life is short
Don’t ever waste it.
Life is sweet
Take time to taste it.
Life is a journey
Find the right path.
Life is entertaining
Don’t be afraid to laugh.
Life is for good times
Make them last.
Life has its bad times
Put them in the past.
Life is a chance
Make sure you take it.
But most importantly
Life is what you make it.
Kelsey Lyn Carone, 12
Big Things
Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They’re what make the instrument stretch, what make you go beyond the norm.
Cicely Tyson
It is an old photo. Sixteen years old this past May 29th, to be precise. The Kodak colors have faded slightly. It shows a baby, only a week old, in an incubator and hooked up to an array of wires and tubes and medical gadgets.
There is also a brown teddy bear with a bright red bow around its neck lying next to the sickly infant in the picture—my first gift from my dad. The teddy bear looks huge—nearly the same size as the baby. In reality, the teddy bear is very small, measuring only about eight inches long. Now you realize how incredibly tiny and fragile the baby in the photo is.
It is hard to believe I am the baby in the picture.
Toxemia, a terrible collection of syllables, is what caused me to be born prematurely. When my mother was stricken with the condition, it was considered life-threatening to both of us, and suddenly I had to be delivered by an emergency cesarean section three months before the due date.