● DEAR ABBY: I met my best friend, "Chanelle," a hairstylist, 20 years ago when she worked in a beauty salon and I was a walk-in client. We hit it off immediately. She has been doing my hair ever since, and I have referred clients to her over the years.
About 10 years ago, Chanelle began working full time in her family's business, but she continued hairstyling on the side. Over the past three years, I have become increasingly unhappy with her haircuts and color.
I was recently out of town and took the opportunity to make an appointment at a well-known salon. The stylist there told me that no one has had a hairstyle like mine in 10 years. She also gave me the color I had been trying to get from Chanelle for the last three years.
Obviously, I don't want to go back to Chanelle. She hasn't taken a class in 10 years, and she has been shining me on. How do I tell her without ruining our friendship? — Bad Hair Decade
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DEAR BAD HAIR DECADE: Tell Chanelle you love her, but you have decided it's time to update your look so she won't be seeing you "professionally" for a while — but "how about dinner and a movie next Friday?"
Believe me, it won't be the first time a hairdresser has heard it. It goes with the territory. If she's really your friend, she'll understand.
● DEAR ABBY: I don't know what to do. My friend "Joe" and I are in sixth grade. We've been friends since the beginning of this year. His friend, "Sierra," and her friends go to parties where everyone drinks and smokes.
I'm really worried about Sierra, especially because she doesn't listen to Joe when he asks her to stop. How can I get her and her friends to stop going to these parties? What should I do? — Upset in Eugene, Ore.
DEAR UPSET: It's clear that Sierra and the crowd she runs with have parents who don't look out for them. That's a shame, because they are headed for serious trouble if they continue on the path they're on.
Sierra isn't going to stop without adult supervision. This isn't something you or Joe can handle by yourselves, so tell your mother and tell a teacher or counselor at school. It's time for alcohol abuse to be discussed in your classroom. Underage drinking can have lasting effects.