Aspiring poet wonders: Are these really my friends? - Cumberland Times-News

Aspiring poet wonders: Are these really my friends? - Cumberland Times-News

Aspiring poet wonders: Are these really my friends? - Cumberland Times-News

Posted: 26 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 16-year-old girl and have been reading your column for over three years now. Many times, I've read about teens being influenced by friends to do things that are wrong "because everybody's doing it." You often refer to this as "peer pressure" because the pressure usually comes from trusted friends.

I really enjoy reading poetry, and I even have tried to write a few poems myself. Some of them are not so great, but I keep trying to improve. Since I also like being responsible and looking out for my friends and peers, I have written a poem entitled "Friends."

I hope you feel it's worthy enough to be in your column. If you do, feel free to put it out there in case it might help even one teen.

— Budding Poet

BUDDING POET: Your poem is indeed worthy. The messages you reference are loud and clear to me — and I hope your peers will read them and take your profound advice to heart.

'FRIENDS'

"Friends" drink with us. They also buy us drinks to celebrate birthdays, weddings, accomplishments and graduations. They buy us drinks to drown our sorrows, too.

"Pals" laugh with us when we are drunk. They love it when we cut loose and act foolish. They laugh with us but also laugh at us.

"Buddies" ride with us when we're drunk and let us ride with them. They trust our judgment to evaluate our own condition — or state of sobriety.

The same friends, buddies and pals visit us in the hospital if our drinking results in an accident, but if we "aren't funny anymore," they will find new companions. And if we happen to die from our injuries, they will attend our funeral and sob in shocked disbelief.

Then they will toast my lost life and have a few to ease the pain of my death, but they will remain alive, and their lives will go on, in search of more friends, pals and buddies.

Are these really my friends?

DR. WALLACE: My best friend has a pet snake. He says they are harmless and that they make wonderful pets and that he really likes his "unusual" pet. This has me thinking of getting an exotic pet myself. It seems every house in our neighborhood has a dog or a cat — or two or three!

Do you think it is OK for a boy like me to request an exotic pet for his birthday? I turn 16 the first week of October, and since we spend so much time at home these days, I'd like an unusual pet to keep me busy. Is this a reasonable gift to request?

— Interested in Exotics

INTERESTED IN EXOTICS: Snakes and other exotic pets make sense in some households but not in others. Various reptiles and even tarantulas can be considered exotic.

First, you must consider the others in your home. After all, at 16, it's not like you have your own apartment that you can stock up with jumbo spiders and snakes. Second, there are local laws that must be followed for certain exotic pets. You should check with your city or county to see what the local laws entail.

I do have a recommendation for you. Why not try a fish? Many a young person or adult has found keeping tropical fish in an aquarium to be quite an enjoyable hobby. Even a moderately stocked aquarium teaches similar responsibilities that having a dog does. There is feeding and maintenance to consider, and careful care must be applied to keep your swimming pets healthy!

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Email him at rwallace@ thegreatestgift.com.

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