Toning Down 'Boy Crazy'

Dear Dee:
I'm 13, and a girl. I think I'm becoming boy-crazy. Natural, you might say, for a girl my age -- but not how I have it. I think if any guy talks to me, he likes me, even though they don't. I try to stop myself from having these feelings but I can't. Do you have any advice for me to help me stop feeling this way?

Don't worry. Most of us are boy crazy. And there's nothing wrong with it. What we need to try to get you to do is tone down the excitement a little so you don't start scaring guys away from talking to you. Some guys who talk to you will like you, others will just want to talk. So how do you stop getting so crazy?

Control. Use your head. When your emotions start to spiral out of control, talk yourself down. Tell yourself to be reasonable and to pull back a little. Part of emotional maturity is being able to do this and reading the signs to know whether a guy is talking, flirting or interested.

You'll get it. But you've just got to stop jumping to conclusions and read the signs! It'll be hard at first, but only until you get used to acting ‘normal' around guys and not automatically assuming.

Tone it down, keep your cool and let the guys come to you.