Harriette Cole: My teen’s sports season was ruined, and I don’t know how to help her

DEAR HARRIETTE My daughter a high school junior in the past few days broke her leg and it has turned our whole household upside down Related Articles Harriette Cole This woman didn t belong in our VIP area Why wouldn t anyone kick her out Harriette Cole The bouncer rejected me and my friends went in anyway Harriette Cole I m ready to live like a grown-up but my best friend isn t Harriette Cole Their vacation plan is setting me up to be the bad sibling Harriette Cole She mentioned she dated him too and now I feel weird about it She is a dedicated volleyball participant and has been training nonstop for years This was supposed to be her big season when college coaches would get to see her play and potentially recruit her Unfortunately she s now missing out on the entire season and she feels like all her hard work has gone to waste She is heartbroken and honestly I don t know how to help her She spends hours scrolling through social media watching her teammates play and it makes her feel worse I keep reminding her that she still has her senior year and that there are other avenues to get noticed but she doesn t want to hear it right now It s hard to watch her go from being such a motivated confident young woman to feeling discouraged and left behind As a parent I want to sponsorship her emotionally and help her find perspective but I also don t want to dismiss her feelings This is a huge loss for her and I know she s grieving not just the injury but the lost opportunity How can I comfort her during this complicated time while also keeping her spirits up and reminding her that this setback doesn t have to end her dreams of playing in college Turning Point DEAR TURNING POINT Find out if her school has a sports guidance counselor who can talk to her and help her work through her feelings Now is a time when a professional can be extremely helpful Also speak to the coach and an academic adviser about the option of reclassing which is the process of extending her high school tenure by a year so that she can still be a junior next year during the recruitment process This may provide particular relief because it could give her a second chance to get noticed during her junior year DEAR HARRIETTE I lost quite a bit of weight over the past year and I am proud of myself I mainly made up my mind that I had to do it and then I stopped eating as much and began to move more I did not take any of the drugs that are so popular right now though I don t have anything against people who do My issue is that when people notice my weight loss they often look me up and down and ask if I take Ozempic or Mounjaro or another of those drugs I find myself defending my own process and sometimes being judged because I didn t use one of them How can I get people to back off It doesn t matter how I lost the weight if it s a good thing for me right Trimmed Down Related Articles Dear Abby I m tired of living alone while my girlfriend lives with her husband Asking Eric The look-at-me pregnancy reveal was the latest rudeness from my niece Harriette Cole This woman didn t belong in our VIP area Why wouldn t anyone kick her out Miss Manners My upset boyfriend skipped dinner because I didn t text him it was ready Dear Abby My husband made fun of me in the store and I ended up in tears DEAR TRIMMED DOWN People are curious about the new drugs you mentioned in the category known as GLP- agonists For specific time people were skeptical about them but now it seems as though they are welcomed with open arms Curiosity is fueling the questions you are getting Just brush them off Thank the person asking for noticing your weight loss Tell them whatever part of your journey you want to reveal and keep it moving You are taking care of yourself and that is fantastic Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams You can send questions toaskharriette harriettecole com or c o Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO