Back off, bud.

My brother's best friend has a crush on me. Every time he comes over, he tries to sit by me or flirt with me. I like him, just not in that way.

Subtlety can be the best bet to avoid hurt feelings, but it doesn't always get the message across. First off, don't flirt back. Drop hints, like talking about how great it is that you can be friends (key word) with your bro's buds. If he doesn't get it? Be more direct or ask your brother to nicely clue him in. Tell him you like him as a friend, nothing more. If you're worried about how he'll take it, tell him you have a rule against dating your brother's friends.

It's truly great that your morn wants to talk about this stuff because then you know that if you ever want--or need--to go to her about anything, you can. If you don't want to chat about tampons and boys in everyday conversation, though, tell her that. Let her know you appreciate her openness but that it makes you uncomfortable when she brings this stuff up. Tell her you're learning about these things in school and that you're glad you can go to her if you have any questions or need to fill in any blanks. You might want to throw in that maybe you'll become more at ease talking about such topics with her once she lets you bring them up.

Over time, your sister is likely to grow out of throwing such baby-fled temper tantrums. But these episodes are bothering you now and making it tough to get along with sis. Hitting and kicking simply aren't acceptable behaviors--even if it doesn't hurt. Talk to your mom again. Let her know how you feel when your sister acts like this. It's her responsibility as a parent to discipline your sister.

Ah, the appropriate age for makeup? That's a tough call for many parents because lots of them fear their daughters will cake it on and look too mature. Let your morn know you don't want to paint on a new face. Tell her you agree that you don't need makeup but that you want some accent. Maybe she won't let you wear makeup every day but will agree to gloss and mascara for special occasions. Once she sees that you're not going for a liner-rimmed smoky eye effect, perhaps she'll let you wear it more often.

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