Ask hailebop!

On the one hand, it's good to keep reassuring your boyfriend. However, it is possibly to over-egg the point, as if he already feeling jealous, he might read in to your keeping mentioning it as meaning that there is, in fact, something going on there. It's a case of balance - if he still seems annoyed and jealous, reassure him some more about how they do it to everyone, and it is just a friendly thing, and have another word with your friends without him there about toning it down in future. If he seems to be over it, then don't mention it again, but if a similar situation arises, when your friends are being a bit too touchy-feely for his tastes, any time they are being over the top return to your boyfriend and give him a hug or a kiss to subtly reassure him that, although they do play about with you, he's the only one who's your boyfriend and gets you that way.

Good luck!

You need to talk to your boyfriend about this, and go through the options together. Explain that you can't realistically go to college where he wants to go because of the course you want to do, so he understands that if he goes away to college, you are going to be in a long-distance relationship. He may well just not have thought things through in the excitement of finding this place, and once he realises the practical implications, he'll reconsider.

If he really wants to go, talk about whether you think the two of you could cope with a long-distance relationship and not seeing each other very often. Long-distance tends to exaggerate any already existing tension points in the relationship, and you have to both be willing to really work on maintaining the relationship, or it just ends in hurt. I think if you honestly wouldn't cope with a long-distance relationship and he's absolutely certain he wants to go away to college, then you have to be fair to yourself and break up now. If you can't do it, save yourself the heartache. It sounds harsh, but it will hurt less than having your relationship slowly crumble, and perhaps having such a strong stance will make your boyfriend realise how much he'll loose by insisting on going to college far away. Good luck, and all the best.

Your sexuality is about how you feel, not what you do. If you are male and attracted to men but force yourself to date women to conform to society's norms, you're still homosexual inside, and that's really what matters. In this case, you've induldged in kissing other girls, but as you don't feel that way inside, it's just kissing, and doesn't have to mean anything more than that. You aren't a bisexual or a lesbian unless you are attracted to other women. Don't worry about it.

I think only you can really answer questions about your sexuality, as it's more to do with how you feel inside then things you've done, and only you can really know how you feel towards your friends and judge whether it is just a strong frienship or you do want something more from your relationship based on sexual feelings as well as friendship.

Talk to your friend about how she's feeling, as although it's fine to experiment in this way with friends, it can lead to somebody getting hurt if one person wants more than the other. If you both want to take things further and explore a romantic relationship, then go for it. This doesn't necessarily make you a lesbian - you could be, or you could be bisexual or just a straight girl experimenting with what feels good. If you aren't sure, don't label yourself yet. Labels are often confusing and restricting, and it's normal to not know where exactly you lie when your young and getting to know yourself. Continue to experiment with your friend if you are both comfortable with this, and see how your feelings develop to both her, other women and other men before you decide whether you are hetrosexual, bisexual or a lesbian. All the best.

Due dates are estimates, and can sometimes be off. I was born two weeks before I was supposedly due, but was the same size as a 40 week baby, so they concluded they must have got the dates slightly mixed up.

Certain things can help induce labour - spicy food, mild exercise and sex, but it may well be a few more days. The last few days of pregnancy are notoriously uncomfortable and difficult, and it is frustrating to feel that you've done your time and you just want the baby out of you, but if a natural birth is possible, it's best to just wait for nature to take its course rather than being induced by a doctor, as this can be stressful on the baby. Do talk to your doctor though if your worried, as they will have all the information about what is the best course of action for your individual circumstances.

All the best. I hope the birth comes quickly and goes smoothly.

Lesbians are not any different from "regular" women except that they are romantically interested in other woman. A lesbian is still a woman. The lesbian your brother kissed was a woman. A male-female kiss is a hetrosexual act. What is the issue here? Unless your brother shows romantic interest in other men, there seems no reason to call his sexuality into question. You need to chill out and stop being so judgemental.

Well, what do you think about the idea of putting on weight, or starting to eat better lunches? If the idea of being larger really bothers you, then this is a cause for worry. If you wouldn't mind putting on weight but don't eat a lot out of habbit, then I think you've just got into bad eating habbits which you could moderate yourself with determination.

Anorexia isn't a weight, it's a mental state where you loose perspective and cannot see how thin you have become (hence the "denial"), and become addicted to the rush that loosing weight or being very slim gives you. You however seem fairly clued up about the fact that you are small, which seems to suggest that you are just underweight rather than in eating disorder territory. However, I would suggest speaking to a doctor about your weight for the peace of mind of you and your friends. A doctor can assess whether your weight is a problem and give you practical advice about how to improve your lifestyle if you've got into bad habbits with skipping meals, or, if he decides you do have an eating disorder, help you get over that, as these things are hard to do on your own. Good luck and all the best.

You don't have to be a "girly girl" to be attractive to guys. I'd say that most guys actually find the extreme of this stereotype pretty indimidating and difficult to approach (think about it - what does the average teenage boy have in common with the living version of Barbie who likes ponies, glitter and the colour pink? Not a lot).

Of course, there are no rules to what people find attractive, physically or personality-wise, but the best advice anyone can give is to be yourself. Confidence and naturalness are extremely attactive qualities. If you are happy with yourself and how you behave, other people will see that and like you for it.

Also, don't get into a negative mindset of thinking that people won't be attracted to you, as such beliefs can easily generate into self-fulfilling prophecies, as you become closed and guys assume you aren't interested. Instead, make the decesion to be more open and friendly with guys. Turn your 'meanness' with guys into play-fighting with them. Be you, but a more open, approachable and ssubtly flirtacious version of you. It only takes a few subtle signals from you for guys to register that you are a girl, and though you aren't typically girly, you are open to romance. Wants they move you from the category of "one of the guys" to "a cool female friends" the chances of romance realy open up. Good luck!

Generally speaking, it's not a good idea to be getting into quite severe diets (things like Atkins or the 'cabbage soup' diet which cut out whole food groups for any length of time) when you are young and still growing, as these can alter your metabolism in the long term, which can be bad for you and can make it harder for you to maintain a good weight for you in the future.

That's not to say that if you are overweight you shouldn't try to reach a healthier weight for your height (the 'if' part being key - nobody who is't overweight should be dieting, period), it's just that given that you are young and still growing, you've got to be careful about the way you do it, cutting down sensibly and exercising more rather than going for 'fad' diets which often provide only short-term solutions. Cut down on rather than cut out things you enjoy like sweets and fizzy drinks, as this is infinitely easier to stick to, and try and drink lots of water. Do exercises that you'll enjoy - rather than just simply trying to do x many situps or cruches a night, do sport which is also fun and social, as you are more likely to form good habbits if you enjoy the things you are doing.

Loosing weight the sensible way can take what feels like a long time, but it's much better for you given your age. Talk to a dietician at your doctors if you can and feel this would be beneficial. Good luck and all the best.

If you've never thought of this guy romantically then I wouldn't read too much into the dream. Sometimes dreams have interesting symbols and can be insightful, but more often than not they are just your brain letting off steam and are mainly random images and things you've been dwelling on during the day. This boy could be in your dream because he was on your mind, but that doesn't mean your romantically interested him. If your dream has confused you, look into your relationship - is there anything there you hadn't noticed before? Maybe there is a romantic undercurrent that your subconcious is trying to wake you up to, but if you don't feel it I wouldn't worry, as kissing somebody in a dream doesn't necessarily mean anything at all.

You can desire your sister's approval in what you do and still be your own person. I think it's normal to want somebody you trust and respect to approve of the decesions you make for yourself, as it's reassuring when people you think are good and noble agree with you and approve of your actions. As with most things however, there is a line. If you feel guilty when your sister doesn't approve absolutely and completely, or would have done things slightly different, even over things of comparatively little importance, than perhaps you looking up to your sister too much, and need to have more faith in yourself and your own decesions. We often look towards others when we are insecure about decesions we have made, as we seek reassurance that we've done the right thing. If you need this kind of reassurance in your sister's approval even on things like the questions you ask yourself, then you are probably relying on her too much. Try not to question yourself and compare yourself to her so much. Have faith in the way you live and the things you, that they are right for you even if your sister doesn't do things the exact same way. You can look up to your sister and enjoy her approval without having to be like her in every way - the real talent is in knowing where your sisters approval is important and when it's just something that's nice to have but not something that should change how you are (e.g. in matters of preference over how you approach problems). Good luck, and Merry Christmas.

I know it's incredibly difficult, but you need to stop blaming this woman, and though you may never get along, you need to learn to live with her without causing further hurt to yourself and the rest of your family.

It takes two people to form a relationship. Although it's absolutely normal and natural to want to point the finger at the outsider who contributed towards the end of the marriage, in reality it takes two to tango, and your father wasn't an innocent victim of a seductress - he has made a choice, and he has chosen to have a new life involving this woman. I know it's hard to see objectively, but it sounds to me that despite his bad behaviour (which I am not denying), he still wants to keep you in his life, as he is still taking you on holidays and trying to have you involved in his new family with this new woman and her son. Instead of focussing on what you dislike about this woman and her child, concentrate on what's important to you and your dad - your relationship.

You don't have to befriend this new woman, but you do have to learn to quietly tolerate her if you want to be in your dads life. You are entitled to talk to your dad if you feel you've been badly treated (as in the case of the basket ball hoop), but it's worth realising that you are much more likely to be listened to if you've shown that you are making an effort to tolerate her and aren't just complaining about everything (which, of course, you aren't, but that is hard for your dad to see if it feels like everyone is just complaining about what he's done). Once your father realises that you are being realy mature and sensible about everything, he's more likely to stop and listen to what your saying and treat you and your brothers better. I hope things improve for you. Have a good Christmas!

I'm afraid I don't know a lot about polycistic ovaries, but it occurs to me that it might be worth speaking to a GP at home rather than where you are studying, as sometimes what treatment the NHS is willing to pay for differs in different areas (the so-called 'postcode lottery'), and there's a small chance that you could get more support if you try the doctors at home.

If you still can't get help, write to your MP about the difficulties you've experienced. Although this isn't going to be an instant fix, your MP might be able to campaign on your behalf for a change in the rules that mean some conditions are ignored by doctors.

I hope things get better, and I'm sorry I cannot be of more help. All the best.

I've had this problem before, and it is akward. I think it is acceptable to move somebody's clothes so you can do your own washing if they've left things for more than, say, half an hour, as long as you put them somewhere safe where their things aren't going to get dirty - neatly piled on top of the machines or in a washing basket is fine, whereas just dumped on the floor or strewn around is obviously not. A note tacked to the machine they were using saying what you've done might also be polite, especially if you've put their stuff into a dryer and it wouldn't be immediately obvious where their stuff had gone upon entering the room. A subtly-worded note saying that their stuff had been in their a while so you had to move it to do yours might also wake-them up to how selfish they are being in hogging the machines and might lead to less machine-hogging. If the problem persits, it's worth talking to the people in charge about putting up a notice (assuming their isn't one already) about leaving stuff in the washers or dryers for excessive periods to help combat the problem. Good luck!

I would trust your orthodontist. How often work is done wil depend on what is being done to your teeth - if your having gap(s) closed where teeth were removed, they'd probably be tigtened more often than if you were just having an overbite corrected. Your orthodontist will know what is the best treatment for you with regards to these sort of things, so its best to trust them, although it probably is worth asking questions if you fear you are just being ripped off. Don't be accusitorial, but just ask before you go in if why you treatment is slow compared to others and whether it would be beneficial to you to have your braces tigtened more often. If he doesn't give an adequate response and after the discussion you do think he's just doing it for the money then look for another orthodontist, but, until then, I'd just trust his or her judgement because there probably is a reason that your experiences are different from your friends. All the best.

Everybody likes to be held and kissed - it makes us feel warm and loved. Just those things alone however cannot fulfill you for long. If you can't communicate and don't have anything in common which you can share, then things will just break down as you become frustrated by the lack of another element to your relationship. That is what is happening now.

The obvious answer is to talk to your boyfriend. When it's got to this stage however, that can be hard as conversation feels and sounds forced and akward. The answer is to start small. When you greet him, don't kiss him immediately, say something small but relevant ("Urgh, I had the worst journey getting here. Sorry I'm late"/"Have you seen *mutual friend* today? I've been trying to get hold of him/her..." etc) which, though it's very small opens a chance to talk which you can get back to later.

Guys often shut down when they are bombarded with lots of talk in a row, so a big long talk about your day is a bad way to try and get him to open up - start small, mentioning things you know he's interested in - stuff in school, people you know, things he might have seen on television, things related to things you've done together on dates, etc. Get him actively involved, even if he doesn't talk a lot, rather than just talking at him at length or bombarding him with questions, as this sudden change will likely confuse him and make him defensive and unwilling to say a lot. The chances are, he's bothored by the lack of conversation too, but just isn't sure how to remedy it. Once you open up oppertunitys and show that you want to talk and that it can be fun, he'll relax into it and hopefully open up a lot. Good luck!

Relax!

It's okay not to speak to speak to each other on the phone every day, especially if you saw each other in the day when you went to the cinema. There is every possibility that he's just busy with other things, especially as you say he acted normally when you saw him last. If he doesn't call for a few more days, then you have reason to worry, but other than that - call him once tomorrow, and then leave it. If he is busy, he'll call you back when he's free, and if he is trying to ignore you, then you don't want to call him lots and get on his nerves, as this will make him less likely to call. But I'm sure it won't come to that, so don't worry so much. All the best.

This is on the list of questions that are automatically deleted - please read the FAQ - and as such, I'm not going to approve it.

Advice-wise, just relax. There is no 'right' way to do anything - just relax into it and do what feels right. The worst thing you can do is try and do things 'text-book', as you'll just seem tense and like you aren't enjoying it (which you won't be, as you'll be concentrating so hard on doing it 'right'). Be confident in yourself and do what feels good for you and the guy will have a great time too. Good luck.

Well, put it this way - what would you want your boyfriend to do if the situation were reversed? I assume you'd want to know the truth, as nobody really wants to be decieved by people who they think care for them.

Your boyfriend is unlikely to be happy that you kissed another guy, especially given that all it took to drive you to it was 'boredom'. If he chooses to end his relationship with you, take it gracefully and learn from the mistake. To be honest, your kissing another guy is probably evidence that all is not right in the relationship to begin with, as if things were hunky-dory then you wouldn't have done what you did. If your boyfriend is willing to work on things, then all is good, but if he's not willing, or can't trust you again then let things go - it's better to be single than to be in a relationship with somebody who doesn't really want to be with you. Make the experience constructive by working out why you did what you did and how you can avoid making similar mistakes again, but other than that, you just have to be honest with your boyfriend and leave the rest to him. Good luck.

I think it's a good idea to take steps against his games, but I think you need to be wary of getting drawn further into what he's doing. It sounds to me like a case of him wanting to have his cake and eat it too - he doesn't really want you, but he likes the attention, so baits you and winds you up and then when you look bored, offers you friendship which he knows you want, which keeps you trapped in this cycle. "Playing games" back to him and trying to beat him at his own game just reenforces what's been happening - he'll continuing to behave badly, you'll get bored of not getting what you want and being hurt, and then you are back to square one.

Just ignore him. Don't retaliate or try and beat him at his own game, just stop having these interactions with him. If you see him smile and say hi if it's appropriate, but don't engage with him any more than that. If he tries to talk to you, say you need to be getting back to your friends. This is the only way to break away from him and stop him having so much power to manipulate you and make you feel bad, which is in turn the only way to get over him and start anew. Good luck.