Dealing Tips

Girl Tips for Dealing with Adam

• If a guy seems cocky or arrogant, or he's being a jerk, he's usually compensating for a lack of confidence or feelings of success. If you're pretty sure he's not a jerk, offer the occasional encouragement to boost his morale...but not that babying kind; that will make him feel worse. He doesn't need to feel precious; he needs to feel manly.

• If he seems aggressive, competitive, or obsessed with movies where things blow up...there's really nothing you can do about this.

• While there are some guy activities that you may find silly (wrestling, punching for fun, being loud...among thousands of others), there are often deep reasons why these things happen. During puberty guys are finding their place socially, as well as their strength, confidence, and voice. Sometimes these juvenile behaviors play an important role in the establishment of these discoveries. Notice I said sometimes.

  Guy Tips on Dealing with Eve

• If you comment on the weather and a girl starts to cry, she's probably not that upset about the forecast. It is probable that a lot is going on in life, and something sent her to her breaking point. Be supportive, offer to listen, and don't make fun of her for crying.
• If the girls in your life are constantly putting themselves down, kindly but honestly let them know you don't really like it when girls do that. Point out their positive traits, and help them focus on those.
• For girls, things are connected...get used to it. When you are interacting with a girl, try to remember that they won't funnel things into neat little boxes of understanding. They are trying to figure themselves out just as much as you are trying to figure them out. When you realize that things are much more of a process than an event, it will help your interactions with all the females in your life.
• Guys, a compliment goes a long way, especially when it's kind and sincere. Girls, like you, can struggle greatly at times with accepting themselves and needing encouragement. Heartfelt compliments, even if small, can go a long way and mean a whole lot (be wise how you compliment a girl. Girls can take it the wrong way). This is also just a good thing to learn to do. People will like you more, and girls will like you a lot more (make sure you don't cross the line of a romantic relationship, unless you are already in one).