Q - Dear Annabelle, Recently a boy moved to our town and now goes to our school. We hit it off really well. My only problem is that I like him. A lot. He is smart, funny, cute, and has this really adorable boyish charm to him!! I don't know how to tell him I like him though. He has been at our school for three months now and I still don't know how to tell him! Please take my question seriously. Most don't because they think I am to young to know anything about love or boyfriends. All I know is that I have a major crush on him and don't know what to do! A - Dear Jen, Of course your question should be taken seriously! At 12 you most certainly can have feeling of attraction for guys. Just keep in mind that these next 8 to 10 years are for practicing how to Ībeā with others and you wonāt get yourself into inappropriate entanglements as you go through adolescence. In the next 7 or 8 years your feelings for different people will change pretty rapidly, and the people who will be your ongoing friends throughout life will actually be the ones with whom you have the closest friendships, and not romantic entanglements. I got a bit of a giggle when you said that heās Īsmart, funny, cute, and has this really adorable boyish charmā........my 13 year old would fit that description too, (boys just do at that age).....so Iād like you to take a look at what you really DO have. Youāve met a very nice young man whoās just beginning to grow out into the social world and away, a bit, from home and family. It would be a very good idea for you to treat his parents with the same respect and interest you show your own. (You DO still view your own parents are ok, yes?...some kidlets your age tend to think their parents are really dorky and embarrassing). Anyway, the very best way for a young lady to have a special friend is to be just very pleasant and cheerful as well as interested in what the young man might find amusing. In some of the other letters under Īadolescentsā youāll find the H.E.L.P. formula and thatās pretty much guaranteed to get you through things conversationally. While youāre too young for single dating, and will be for another three years or so, group dating through our church or synagogue is a nice way to learn and practice social graces..........those really deadly sounding Īplease, may I and thank youā kinds of things that make life go ever so much more easily. (For what itās worth, good manners make all of life, not only more pleasant for everyone, but set you in a class as knowing enough to care that those around you are comfortable and that you are someone worth taking seriously in this world.) Anyway, the young man sounds as though heās very worth knowing and will probably find you a happy addition to his world. You can always ask him to help you study for one of your classes or offer to tutor him in a subject that you find very easy. Good luck...have fun........and remember to smile (lots). - Annabelle