dating

I love this question, because it’s something I think doesn’t get discussed enough, and while I think the answer is fairly simple, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. I know the thought of asking someone out can be intimidating even to people who’ve done it before, so when you haven’t had any experience…

It sounds like this is really stressing you out. Hopefully I can help by answering your first question right off the bat: yes, this is normal. I think you’re right that the lack of contact could have been a factor in the cooling of your feelings towards your long-distance partners; that’s a common…

You’re facing down a process that, according to a bazillion sitcoms and teen dramas, ought to fill you with dread: introducing the person you’re dating to your parents and trying to peacefully navigate their feelings about your budding romance.

When people ask about lowering their standards and whether it’s worth it to do so, the answer to that question depends on what those standards are. You didn’t describe yours in detail, so I don’t have much to go on, but in general, I’d divide what people tend to call “standards” into two types of…

Think you might be asexual, or just curious about the ace community? Alaina Leary has the details.

Help the young people in your life deal with rejection in healthy ways.

Hi Lily, Loneliness can be a real bummer, can’t it? Especially when you’re in a stage of transition — getting ready to go to college, leaving your old life behind — it’s easy to get a little anxious about what might lie ahead in the future. Take a deep breath, pour yourself a cup of tea, and let’s…

I’m so sorry to hear that your friends’ behavior has got you feeling this way, Liv. From the sound of things, even if they’re not doing it on purpose, they’re souring what otherwise sounds like something that’s been pretty nice for you and is also obviously a formative life experience. A first…

Dear Anonymous, When I first got your question in my inbox, I was really excited to write a response, because I have felt the same as you at different times in my life. As a disabled teenager, the idea of having an anonymous hook-up felt weird, inappropriate, and simply didn’t feel like “the right…

Hi Gracie! What an honor to be trusted with your boyfriend’s first coming out conversation; picking the first person to talk to out loud about your sexuality can be very scary. It sounds like he loves and trusts you, but this revelation is raising some questions for you, which is understandable…