Dear Pastor,

I am a 16-year-old Jamaican girl who is living in the United States of America. I have always wanted to live with both my parents. I got my wish, but now I hate it. I can't take calls from boys. I can't have a boyfriend. It's like I can't do anything. They are just controlling and are taking over my life. Sometimes I wish I could be adopted. They want me to stay home and baby-sit my 2-month-old sister everyday. I can't go out.

DRIVING ME CRAZY

Really and truly this is driving me crazy. If this continues, I am going to runaway and never go back or I might just kill myself. It seems like I'm invisible to them. They don't care about me. I am very serious. I really don't know what to do. I just want to be treated equally and have my rights.

K.B., New York, USA

Dear K.B.,

I suppose you mean that your parents don't want you to have intimate boyfriends and they are not encouraging you to go on dates. Some parents allow their daughters to date when they are little older than you.

Others allow them to date when they are sixteen. You are complaining because your parents do not want boys to call you at all. I would say that your parents are not being very wise. They should allow you to accept calls from boys, but should limit the amount of time you spend on the telephone.

ALLOWED TO GO OUT

They should also restrict the number of calls you can make to your friends because some teenagers spend too many hours on the telephone and can run up high telephone bills.

You should also be allowed to go out from time to time in groups and with people your parents can trust. You should encourage your parents to get to know some of your classmates and their parents.

Pastor

You should also encourage some of your friends' parents to ask your parents to allow you to go out with them when they are taking their children out on picnics or to the movies, etc.

I believe that your parents mean well, but they are over protective, but the worst thing you can do is rebel, because if you do, you can make matters worst.

Pastor