Annie Fox for Teens... Hey, Terra!

Annie (AKA Hey Terra!) has been around long enough to have experienced a lot of what Life can dish out. But, it hasn’t been so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be your age. Check out some of the thousands of email questions teens from around the world have sent to Terra. You may learn something useful from her answers:

From just friends to more?:
“I want to be more than a friend with benefits.”

Hey Terra,

I'm 14 and I have a HUGE problem. I am in love with my friend. He is so cute. But the problem is he only wants to be friends. On top of that we are friends with benefits. I want to tell him how I feel? Should I?

Loving the Guy

Dear Loving the Guy,

I'm assuming that when you say "friends with benefits" that you've been having some kind of sexual relationship with this guy. If that's the case, my advice is that you stop that part of the relationship. Why? Because you have romantic feelings for him and you want more than "just friends" from him. He's told you that he "only wants to be friends." If you believe that you can trade the sex for what you really want from him (love), here's what's going to happen... More of what's happening right now! He'll get what he wants (sex and no romantic attachment) and you'll get NONE of what you want. The only thing you've got is your fantasy that it's going to turn into something more.

Sure, you can tell him how you feel... But proceed with caution. He may lead you to believe that with more time and more of the relationship's "benefits" he "might" start feeling that way about you too. That will keep you stuck just where you are.

If you want love and he wants friendship... Take the sex out of the relationship or nothing will change and a year from now you'll be sending me the same email.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

In friendship,

Terra


Need some advice? Write to Terra. She'll give you a straight answer you can trust without any lectures.


What's New?
''The Girls Q&A Book on Friendship: 50 Ways to Fix a Friendship Without the DRAMA'' by Annie Fox, M.Ed., illustrated by Erica De Chavez Books & Apps for Teens
''Middle School Confidential 3: What's Up With My Family?'' iOS app ''Middle School Confidential 2: Real Friends vs. the Other Kind'' iOS app ''Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are'' iOS app ''The Teen Survival Guide to Dating & Relating: Real-World Advice on Guys, Girls, Growing Up, and Getting Along'' by Annie Fox M.Ed.
''Middle School Confidential, Book 3: What's Up with My Family?'' by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Middle School Confidential, Book 2: Real Friends vs. The Other Kind'' by Annie Fox M.Ed., Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Middle School Confidential, Book 1: Be Confident in Who You Are'' by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Too Stressed to Think? A Teen Guide to Staying Sane When Life Makes You CRAZY'' by Annie Fox, M.Ed. and Ruth Kirschner