Dear Iyanna,

Every day in class my friend keeps distracting me. What do I do?

Sincerely,

Tryna work

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Dear Tryna,

I have some experience in this department because when I was younger, I talked a lot more than I do now, Impressive, I know. If you have assigned seats, you could talk with the teacher about your seating arrangements. And if you don’t have assigned seats try telling your friend that you need to focus. If they really care, they won’t be offended that you’ve changed your seat. But the power of best friends is very strong, so make sure to resist the urge to learn how sign fluently just to talk to each other.

Dear Iyanna,

Every day after school my mom asks me to babysit and it’s starting to feel like I have no life, help!

Sincerely,

Cinderella

Dear Cinderella,

I realize it may be hard, but your mom is busy and she needs your help. Try taking care of her on the weekdays and scheduling time with your friends on the weekends. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. My friends and I usually just go to a park or walk around town. Maybe even try getting a little allowance for all that work and start a little business.

Dear Iyanna,

My friend is ignoring me and we don’t hang out anymore. Why?

Sincerely,

Confused

Dear Confused,

If you realize your friend is ignoring you, and you were really close, try and talk to them. Ask them what’s going on. If the answer is positive and you guys start hanging out again, just be careful. But if they ignore you or say something like “Of course we’re still friends,” and keep ignoring you, think about moving on. It stinks, but losing friends is a part of life. But so is making them.

Dear Iyanna,

How do I keep my patience?

Sincerely,

Restless

Dear Restless,

I have problems keeping my patience, and I have found that breathing exercises do tend to help. And as cliche as it may sound, happy, peaceful thoughts keep the mind calm. Also make sure to be more understanding of people and take five steps back before reacting to someone so you don’t say something you will regret.

Sincerely,

Iyanna