Dear Dish-It, My Uncle Is Leaving Before Christmas!

Dear Dish-It serves up advice about divorce.

Advice About Family

Dear Dish-It, is here to whisper "ttyl after I've thought about this some more".

Dear Dish-It,

I found out that my uncle is planning to leave his family and it's only a few days til Christmas! I really don't want that to be my cousin's Christmas present. What should I do? Please help!
LATiN_GURL

Dear LATiN_GURL,

I feel ya, LATiN_GURL. It's terrible to go through a break-up, whether it's BF/GF, friend or family-related, but it can be even worse during the holidays cuz it's supposed to be a time for everyone to be together. Unfortunately, your cousin is going to go through some tough times and experience a whole range of emotions, from feeling hurt and upset to confused and angry that her dad is leaving.

Even though you may feel like you're gonna burst, don't tell your cousin about what you found out even before your uncle has had a chance to talk to her. It's up to your uncle to break the news to his family about why he's leaving and when he's leaving. But here's what you can definitely do for your cousin - let her know you're there for her in case she wants to talk, vent, cry on your shoulder, or eat a bucket of ice cream together. And if she doesn't feel like sticking around at home for the holidays, invite her over to your place to decorate the tree or bake a batch of Christmas cookies. Just keep in mind that the point is to keep her busy and get her mind off her problems, not shove Christmas spirit down her throat cuz she may not feel like celebrating much this year.

So, ya gotta burnin' question? Need some love directions? Thinkin' 'bout stuff like depression, sex,how ya feel 'bout YOURSELF (that's called "self-esteem"), boyfriends, girlfriends, losin' old friends, bullyin' or peer pressure, but too scared to ask the parents? Don't be scared to Dish-It here. But 'member, if ya hang out in Chat with other Kidzworld members who know ya by your 'username', ya might wanna use a secret nickname when ya write in. That way no one'll ever know it's you. And, just in case ya don't know, Dish-It gets a lotta letters everyday, and she can't answer 'em all. So keep checkin' the column cuz she's prob'ly answerin' somethin' very similar to your question while you're out doin' somethin' else. K? And Thanks! Ya keep her outta trouble. Oh! And if ya've got words of wisdom you wanna share,We'll dish 'em up, too.