DEAR ABBY: I am 15. I just found out my father was married before he married my mother. He had a couple of kids with his first wife.
My parents are very upset that I know and are against my having any relationship with my half-siblings. I realize I didn't grow up with them, but it would be nice to meet them since I am an only child.
Can you think of anything I can do to convince my parents to let me talk to them? -- LONELY SIBLING IN NOVA SCOTIA
DEAR LONELY SIB: Not at this time. Since they are uncomfortable with your contacting your siblings, wait until you are 18.
Family secrets like the one you have described usually have a way of revealing themselves sooner or later. I don't know the circumstances of your father's divorce, but it's important to prepare yourself for the possibility that the children your dad left behind might not know about -- or want a relationship with -- you. It sometimes happens.