Should parents choose their kids' friends?

Dear Nanay,

I also have a question for you about kids joining barkadas. At what point should parents meddle in the affairs of their children and who their friends are? — Lourdes               

Dear Lourdes,

Your question is a very difficult one to answer. And honestly, I think every parent needs to decide for themselves and their children just when they need to intervene.

The only thing that parents need to remember is to try and strike a balance between giving their children freedom and trying to control their lives. The balance will be different for each family, for each parent and for each child. And it is up to each parent to decide what the appropriate balance should be for each member of their family.

Remember that parenting is not an exact science. There is no “one size fits all.” What works for me may not work for you. So you may also have to do some experimenting to see what works best not only for your children but for you as well.

Sincerely,

Nanay

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Dear Nanay,

I want to comment on the letter sent to you by Magic Mike who is falling in love with his lady boss.

I only have one advice for him: Don’t do it! Dating your boss is probably the worst thing you can do for your career. Absolutely nothing good will come out of it. Think about it! If you don’t work out then you are probably out of a job. She’s going to be your boss in the office and probably your boss out of the office also. She will probably demand and expect more from you and you probably won’t get promoted or get a raise because she will always think to herself what the other people will say. She will be conservative and to prevent people from saying she is biased your life will become more difficult. Your career will probably be jeopardized and harmed. So don’t do it!

If you are really in love with her and you are willing to “risk it all” then the smart thing to do is to resign. Get another job! That is so you and she can both have a normal life. It is too hard to be working for the person you are in love with.

Take it from me. The same thing happened to me years ago. Of course, I can say with pride that my wife and I have been happily married for six years with two wonderful kids. But wow. That experience is something I don’t want to do again and it is something I do not wish on anyone. It was just too hard and too complicated. — MTL                          

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