I Miss Him a Lot!

Hey Cassie,

I have been having a hard time lately because my dad recently moved to New York all the way across the country! I miss him a lot. Although I still get to talk to him every day, it's still not the same...and this situation has really affected my school work. What should I do?

Sierra

Dear Sierra,

This is one of those moments when you are being called upon to be stronger than you ever were before. Some people think that ‘growing up’ is just hanging out and waiting for another year to pass, but that’s not growing up, that’s just getting older. Growing up really means dealing with changes, some of which we don’t always like at first, and finding a way to still be happy. There’s even a kind of prayer written by that super sly person ‘anonymous’ that says “give me the ability to change what I can, accept what I can’t change, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Since you probably can’t change your living situation at this point in your life, it’s time to get on with the accepting it part, and then get out there and start focusing on what you CAN do in your life, instead of what you can’t!  Getting good grades is the key to choosing the future you want, and with a good education, you can start planning for when you’re older and can move closer to him again, with a good job and a great outlook! Do this for yourself and for your Dad! Now get to work!