PARENTS DON'T NOTICE HER

Dear Jellybean,

My name is Danielle and i am the middle child of two Brothers. My Mom and Dad are divourced and both of them are getting married to two different people...it seems like there too busy for me, it seems like they dont even notice me any more. I have tried talking to them, but they wont listen, both the people they are marrying are really cool but it seems like my parents just wanna be around them...what should I do???

Sincerely,

Danielle B.

Dear Mary Jane,

You're in a tough situation. Even though adults are supposed to be all focused on their kids, we all know they can get completely distracted and caught up in their own lives lots of times. It's great that you talked to them about this. But sometimes it's hard to express yourself, especially if the so-called grown ups aren't really listening.

My suggestion to you is, think of a better way to communicate what you're feeling to them. You might write a poem about how lonely you feel and give it to them. Or you could show them this letter to me, and my answer. Or, you could come up with ideas for how you and your folks can spend more one-on-one time together - like having Sunday father-daughter lunches, doing a Thursday-night girl movies night with your mom, etc. Think of what you like to do, and what your folks each like to do, and tell them "Hey, I have a great idea for spending some quality time together!"

Good luck. I hope that your parents open their ears and eyes and see that they've got a great daughter who only wants to spend more time with them. And considering how a lot of teenagers feel about spending time with their folks, I think that your mom and dad are very lucky indeed.