The Evolution of Friendship

Going into summer last year before seventh grade, I had a huge group of friends. I went to parties and hung out with all of them on a regular basis. I never felt alone. At the time, I thought a good friend was simply someone with similar humor, someone who was caring and supportive.

As school started to inch closer, things got weird. I’d try to have conversations, but they’d either end abruptly or I’d get into little arguments with my friends, mostly about nothing at all. Our personalities began to change and theirs no longer matched mine like they used to. I hung on to them as much as I could, but on the first day of school I was left out of the group. I sat there all alone while everyone carried on around me, and then it hit me, I was no longer meant to be friends with these people.

November 12, 2015December 22, 2015

4 Tips for Dealing with the Pressures of Social Media in Junior High

Alaysia is back this month to talk about social media, cyber bullying, and how to keep yourself safe. Please give her a warm MB welcome!

One night while scrolling through Instagram, I began to notice several messages from a friend. These messages weren’t for me, but I began to notice a pattern. Some were hard to read because I just couldn’t believe I was actually witnessing my own friend aggressively cyber bully a girl for her choice of religion. There were many back-and-forth comments as my friend continued to nag on this girl, claiming her choice of religion was all wrong and there was only one religion to follow without being sent to a horrible afterlife.

Later on, a boy I didn’t know began sticking up for the girl along with others, including myself. However, the boy began using profanity and threatening my friend for bullying the girl. Right before my eyes, I watched this situation grow and grow into a battle, both my friend and this boy were publicly humiliating one another.

I finally decided to step in and stop it. I privately sent a message to my friend saying he was better than that and that we all have a free choice of religion. I urged him to understand there are differences out there and that everyone has a right to believe in whatever they want to believe in.

September 10, 2015November 22, 2015

Alaysia’s Open Letter to a Friend Who’s Struggling

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Through my work at The Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas, I’ve learned that youth suicides are a very real, very tragic issue. It is the third cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24, and about 5000 young people complete suicide in the US each year. You can learn more facts about youth suicide on the SCC’s website here. But today, I’d like to focus on the hope and the strength that we can gain from each other, so our teen contributor, Alaysia Monroy, has some words of hope for her fellow teens.

Dear Friend,

This is a world with great wonder,

Only not everyone can see that.

It’s times like this when you wonder,

Where is the world’s wonder?

Friend, I know you may be facing challenges. We all do. But I’d like to tell you: You are worth it! Just live. Don’t worry. I understand that things can be hard sometimes, but in the end, you won’t regret it. There’s a dark world out there, but how are we supposed to shine without darkness?

When you’re sad and struggling for a purpose, just remember you aren’t alone. There are other people hurting. Trust me. Take a breath. This is just a bad day and not an all-out bad life.

August 18, 2015December 22, 2015

Alaysia’s 5 Back-to-School Tips: Turning Anxiety into Hope

A month or so ago, a twelve-year-old, American-Venezuelan girl named Alaysia Monroy reached out to me. She told me that after a traumatic event left her fearful and anxious, she dreams of starting a blog of her own that would reach out to other teen girls who’re dealing with similar stress, anxieties, and low self-esteem. She’d like to help them find inner confidence and strength in friendship. I fell in love with the idea and asked if she’d contribute a back-to-school post for Model Behaviors.

Read on for some very useful advice, whether you’re heading back to school or not!