Question:

Hi:) I’m not sure if this is okay- writing to you more than once. Considering there are others who may have not already written to you. I just wanted to say thanks for writing back the first time. I got SO excited and my teachers were proud of me. Well, one thing i forgot to mention was how awesome your books are. They prepare me for what’s coming- broken hearts, different classes, boys and their expectations- and i find myself racing through them. I love they way it relates perfectly to what’s really happening. So about a year ago, me and my family moved due to neighbor issues and what not. It was the perfect house. I imagined myself going back and visiting my parents with my kids as years passed. When we moved, my heart was broken and i cried myself to sleep. My world was somehow rearranged. But i realized I’ve matured over the year. My personality, i’m working towards becoming a disciple, and everyone thinks that I’m older then i am (truth is i wish i was) is an example. I also think it was meant to be. We are close to the neighbors now- they’re as social as us and we hang out with them often. Well, i have a guy friend that’s older than me and we text often. He’s the middle child of one of the neighbors. We used to text almost every minute of the day but it has slowed down a little. I’m pretty sure it’s because we’ve ran out of things to talk about. When we do text, I feel like I don’t know how to respond to things that make me sound mature but fun. Even though he’s older, he’s respectful, family oriented, appropriate, and he even babysits. So don’t think it’s what he texts that is hard to respond to. It’s mostly our age difference. He’s four years older. I’ve found myself dreaming about him and my friends say he might like me. Most boys older wouldn’t bother to want to know someone younger- most of the time. Since we’re both teenagers I feel like it should be easy but… I don’t know. If you have advice, that would be great. Not necessarily things to respond but how.

Phyllis replied:

Why not just enjoy his friendship for now and not worry so much about age difference, since you’re not in a romantic situation or feel that you are being asked to do things you aren’t ready for.  What I would suggest is that you save your text messages until you really have something to say.  Long strings of bland ramblings can get boring pretty quick.  You want him to perk up when he sees he has a message from you, not slip his cell phone back in his pocket and think, Whatever.