Kleptomaniac Friend: A Dilemma

I am a 14-year-old girl. Recently I went to the mall with a friend named Tali. She and I were shopping for bathing suits. We went into the dressing room but didn't find any that we liked.

Then we looked at makeup. We tried a lot of testers but we didn't buy anything.

When we returned back to Tali's home, I was shocked when she changed. She was wearing the bathing suit top.

What Would You Do?

She said that she had forgotten to give it back. But the next day in the high school bathroom, I saw her using a new lipstick that looked like the ones from the makeup counter.

I think she stole that makeup. And I don't understand why she would take only half of a bathing suit.

I asked her where she had gotten the makeup and she said her aunt had given it to her. I don't want to get her in trouble. But I'm afraid she has a serious problem.

My mother doesn't like her anyway, so I can't tell my mom. Should I tell Tali's mother? What do I do?

Tattoo: A Mom's Dilemma

My 15-year-old daughter and her best friend both want to get tattoos on their back. I am totally against the idea. I told her that her body is perfect and that putting a tattoo on it was a permanent statement that she wasn't ready to make. She claims that it's her body and that she can do what she wants with it. And besides nobody will see it. Except in the summer when she wears a bathing suit.

My husband says he'll throw her out if she comes home with a tattoo.

What Would You Do?

I think he's overreacting but, on the other hand, I don't want her to get a tattoo.

She says that her best friend's mother doesn't mind at all. She says that I'm acting like an old lady and that I should join her in 2000.

Am I stuck in the 60's? I don't know how I can stop her. Help.

My Sister's Chat Room Alter-Ego: A Dilemma

My little sister, Brianna, (12) is always on the computer. I know her user names in the chat rooms. Sometimes I'm in the same chat rooms. And I know that she's writing about some really sick stuff. For example, she says she's been huffing. And how she's doing pot.

What Would You Do?

When I ask her about this she says she's just writing it, that she's not really doing it. But why would she want to write about it? She says she likes having an alter ego who is really messed up. She likes making things up. She says there's nothing wrong with it. She made me promise not to tell my parents about it. But I'm worried about her. Should I tell my parents? Then Brianna will never trust me again. But if I don't tell them, and she really is huffing, she could get into trouble. And anyway, is it normal to make up a whole new character for the chat rooms? I'm not sure who she is anymore.

What should I do?