WholeFamily Bookstore Abuse (Spousal): Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men Healing the Trauma of Abuse: A Woman's Workbook The Emotionally Abused Woman: Overcoming Destructive Patterns and Reclaiming Yourself

Dr. Sylvia Rimm Maggie and her son Sean are experiencing two difficult changes simultaneously that put extra stress on both of them. Maggie assumes she is helping Sean by emphasizing to him that they are both experiencing the difficulty and by making these changes together. While it is all right for Maggie to explain that she, too, feels some stress, because it allows Sean to admit to his own stress, it's important to Sean to believe that his mother can take care of him not as a partner but as a mother. The togetherness that she suggests will actually cause him to either feel he is expected to act like an adult or to assume that mother won't be able to handle him alone. The emphasis on "just you and me" only makes Sean feel lonelier and more vulnerable.

The Wedding Guest Glen, 49, is the owner of a plumbing supply business. Glen's first wife, Sophia, died in a car accident. He was left a widower with three young kids. Soon after, he married Allison, who devoted herself to raising the kids. Then Glen divorced Allison and married Yvette, a teller at the local bank who is half his age. Now Glen's oldest son, Todd, 22, is marrying Taylor. Glen has stopped by the home of his mother, Janet. He talks with her about the wedding plans. Janet: Did Taylor decide on a gown yet? Glen: I don't think so. She and Yvette sit and look at bridal magazines all the time. Taylor's mother lives in Ohio so it's nice that Yvette can help Taylor.

Don't be shy now. Are you one of those people who is often asked (OK, begged) to help others with sinister homework assignments?

Wyatt Dunn, 16, is now a Junior at Mulder N. Scully High School in St. Louis. His favorite subjects include Literature and Art History, but he is actively trying to wrap his brain around Calculus, with moderate success. After a period of not wanting to be part of anything, Wyatt joined The File, his school's newspaper, as Co-Editor and columnist, which takes up a large portion of his free time. (The Editor-in-Chief, Julia Korn, has been Wyatt's best friend since third grade.) His loves include The Offspring, Olympic Track and Field events, his niece and nephew, and Julia (but she does not know this.

We all know that smoking is bad for us (Duh!). I mean the label on any cigarette package practically says "Smoking this product will kill you". But the question is not "Is smoking dangerous?" but "Is smoking cool?" OK, so you agree that killing yourself is very uncool, but some of us still think that it LOOKS cool to smoke.Now, in my other articles (YOU HAVE READ MY OTHER ARTICLES?) we figured that looking cool is different than being cool. Well, since BEING cool is what we're after here, I'm now gonna tell you why you can't smoke and be cool at the same time.

I guess I'm really writing this so maybe other people will read my story and not make the same mistakes. I have. I am a 16 year old sophomore and until about a year ago I was very smart and had a lot of friends. One day I was a normal teen with a normal family and the next my world was being torn apart. My family started having a lot of problems I feared my parents getting a divorce and I was living with a suicidal sister. I started spending less and less time at home and more time with the people that I called my friends. They all were into drugs and the stealing and violence that goes with them.

You've seen them - glassy eyes in sunken eye sockets, pale skin hanging off their bones. If you haven't already guessed, I'm talking about junkies. They messed up at some point in their lives by "experimenting" and got addicted. Now they want you to try some, too. See how it helped us? See how much better we are now? Come one, one hit won't hurt. One smoke won't get you hooked. One little dose won't kill you. That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard.

Mike and Jim are on their way into the liquor store. Their plans for the night include drinking...and drinking. "Mike, come on, man! I'm not doing this by myself." "Chill, I'm coming." I can't stand this part of it. Buying the booze with our fake ID. I don't know why the other guys can't get themselves some fake ID. Jim and I use ours all the time. We could get into some serious trouble if we got caught. "Four six-packs of Budweiser please and that whiskey over there.