Our new issue contains the first of many "bonus features" on our website! This week's bonus feature is a history of advice columns, researched and written by two of our staff writers, Molly and Mia. We'll add new bonus features each week. Plus: This week's column includes new letters from as far away as Texas, Canada, and even France!
For those who are visiting for the first time: "The Mask" is a group of middle school students eager to help with your dilemmas related to the pandemic. If you're a middle school student and would like The Mask to give you advice, please fill out this anonymous form. If we don't get to yours right away, keep checking back because it might appear in a future issue.
Dear Mask,
A person I know is going through a lot. She came to my school a year ago and hates it sometimes. Why she hates school is because no one wants to get close to her. They do not even want to be in the same room as her. The reason why is because she does not have good hygiene. She also does not look clean. Her hair has dirt in it and it clumps together. She also scribbles with markers all over herself. She goes crazy sometimes when she gets mad… Another thing is people talk about her behind her back, like "Does she live with skunks?" or "[She] smells worse than a rotting egg sandwich." And I cannot argue with them because she does. But every time I hear someone say something not nice about her, I stand up for her and say something like, "Treat people the way you want to be treated" or "Not cool, guys, cut it out." I told the teacher after it happened so many times that it was hard to keep track of the number. The teachers fixed it for a short period of time. Then we went to online school and no one could smell her, and she made a lot of friends. We came back to in-person school two months ago and now we are in junior high. She is now getting even more hate and I am doing my best standing up for her all the time. I treat her like I do with all of my other friends and she likes that because she does not get that often. But what more can I do? I can't defend her forever. The thing that bothers me the most is that she does not try, meaning she takes a shower every like two weeks and does not do a good job cleaning herself. And she has running water and lives in a nice house, and her mom and dad have well-paying jobs. How can I help her without seeming weird?
Just want to help,
Hygiene
Texas
Dear Hygiene,
This is a tough situation! It sounds like you are handling it really well already by defending her when you can and letting an adult know. Here are a few tips that might be able to further help you in this situation. My first piece of advice would be to keep being a good friend. Even if it is hard sometimes, just keep being kind. My next piece of advice would be for her hygiene. If the two of you are close enough, you could try giving her a gift of maybe perfume or other hygiene products. As for her behavior when she’s mad, I suggest either trying to calm her down when she's mad or, if that doesn’t work, talking to a teacher or an adult about it. Overall, I think you are handling this situation really well already and I think it’s really nice that you want to help your friend. It shows you are dedicated to her, and she's lucky to have you.
Good luck!
The Mask
Dear Mask,
In quarantine, I have problems of being bored and not knowing what to do. I have a problem of being annoying to my parents when bored, so I want to fix this issue. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Bored Boy
San Jose, CA
Dear Bored Boy,
I know how you feel. Life is very difficult at a time like this. You might try and find a new hobby. I definitely do not suggest annoying your parents. Instead of annoying them, try to spend quality time with them. For example, you can watch a movie together or play a board game. Also try to socialize with people online. You can FaceTime your friends and talk to them. You can also search up things to do when you're bored and try one of the things that come up. This is a good time to be creative and find something new to get into.
Enjoy your adventures!
The Mask
Dear Mask,
I really want to see my cousins, but they live on the East Coast. I want to call them, but they never answer my texts.
Sincerely,
Meowmeow
San Jose, CA
Hi Meowmeow,
I am sorry to hear that. I want you to know that you are not alone; many other cousins do not reply to texts or calls. I think that you should think about what time it is on the East Coast and make sure it does not conflict with them because they are three hours ahead. They also may just be bad at texting and calling back, like me! Try asking them if there is a good time for you to call or text them. If they don’t answer, they just might not want to talk to you, and you have to respect that. It's not the ideal situation, but I believe in you and your cousins’ relationship!
All the best,
The Mask
Dear Mask,
My teacher is frustrating. They keep making up rules and then changing them! I don't know what I can do anymore! What should I do?!
Sincerely,
Confused Cat
San Jose, CA
Dear Confused Cat,
That seems hard to deal with. But you can just ask, “Hi Mr./Ms. [teacher’s name], I am confused about the rules, and I don’t understand. Can you please help?” You can also try asking another classmate about the rules, and work with them.
Good luck!
The Mask
Dear Mask,
My friend is very angry with me and I don't know why. He is ignoring me, and I don't know how to convince him to talk to me. I haven't done anything to make him mad. I get very anxious. Please help me, Mask.
Sincerely,
Mr. Niceman
Ottawa, Ontario
Dear Mr. Niceman,
I’m so sorry. This has happened to me, too. I would suggest talking to your friend. I would just tell him you notice he hasn’t been talking to you as much lately. Maybe ask him if there is a reason why or if you are doing something wrong. It’s never fun to feel like you are doing something wrong, and I hope you guys can figure it out.
Hopefully,
The Mask
Dear Mask,
Between school and Covid-19, it's becoming really hard to keep in touch with my friends. I do hang out with them about one time a week, but other than that, I have no way of talking to them because I don't have my own phone or a personal email. What can I do to stay in touch with them?
Sincerely,
Can't Get in Contact
San Jose, CA
Dear Can’t Get in Contact,
What you could do is ask your parent or guardian to let you use their email or to get you an email. Or you could ask your parents to speak with your friends’ parents to see if you can meet up in a game on a call. Thanks for sending us this letter. Sometimes family rules that made sense before Covid-19 make it really hard now for people to stay in touch, and staying in touch is important.
Good luck!
The Mask
Dear Mask,
It's a new year, and we are leaving the worst year of my life in the past. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see what I looked like in 2020 and then I am sad. I want to change my appearance, but I am undecided and I also do not know if this is just a phase I am going through. Should I cut my hair short or keep it long? Should I dye my hair pink, blue, or not at all? Or maybe change the way I dress? Help me!
Sincerely,
New Year New You
Lyon, France
Dear New Year New You,
In my opinion, everyone is perfect the way they are. But if you do change your appearance, it's your choice what you want to look like. Once you find something that you like, you can take advice from your family and friends on what they think. If you dye your hair, you should use washable hair dye so if you don't like it you can wash it off.
Sincerely,
The Mask
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Almaden Country Day School. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to replace parental or professional advice.
