Hey, Cherie!

This is a little weird. I am 16 years old, and I have been flirting with this new guy through the summer. We are both going into 11th grade. I work in a frozen yogurt store, and he comes in almost every day to buy a frozen yogurt. We started to talk; it turns out that his family moved here over the summer and we will be in high school together. We have never gone out on an actual date, but we exchanged e-mail addresses and instant messenger names. Over the last couple of weeks, we started to instant message and text each other.

It's kind of amazing, since in real life I am not an open person — even on the computer I haven't been so revealing with my friends. But with Brian (that isn't his real name), I find that I can talk about anything. And I do mean everything.

A couple of days ago, we had this hot chat where we talked about our histories with other people as well as the things that we like to do. I won't go into details, but it was very intimate.

You might think I'm about to say that Brian wouldn't even talk to me, but the next day he came into the shop and acted normal, except he laughed and asked for hot frozen yogurt. It made me laugh, too.

But now I am embarrassed, even though Brian is totally cool. Should I feel uncomfortable? Is this normal? What if it happens again?

— Cyber You-Know-What

Hey, Cyber!

Good to know you're human — join the club. I doubt that there will be any long-term disability that results from talking to Brian that way. Yes, there are people who get addicted to cyber sex; however, there are people who become addicted to other items, too. And nothing you wrote makes me think, "Dang, Cherie. Cyber's an addict waiting to happen!"

That said I do want to caution you about this: Anything you ever send on the Internet, whether it is an instant message or e-mail, could easily be copied, uploaded or sent to someone else. If you and Brian have a falling out, do you really want that instant message log from the other night in his hands? Ditto e-mails?

It's all a good argument for telephone calls — I doubt you and Brian would have gotten into the same subject on the phone — and actual face time. Maybe you want to keep it light when messaging. Meanwhile, Brian sounds like a pretty good guy; have fun and use good judgment.

Hey, Cherie!

How many meals on a weekend day should a kid have to eat with his family? I'm 15, and it is annoying to sit down with my whole family for lunch and dinner whenever I'm home on the weekend, which is often. Sometimes, I'd rather just grab some food and avoid dealing with my irritating little brothers.

— Fed Up

Hey, Fed!

Nice pun in the name. I've had a few questions over the years about family meals, but your question is the first dealing specifically with weekends. I'd say that on the weekends, and with you being 15, dinner if you're home is sufficient. Or what if your little brothers eat earlier? Then you could sit down with the parents. I like that idea.

Cherie Bennett is a best-selling author of books for teens and young adults. Visit her website at www.cheriebennett.com. To find out more about Cherie Bennett and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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