DEAR ABBY: I'm a 14-year-old girl with a problem. I am starting high school as a freshman. Last year I got into more trouble at school than I ever have been in my entire life. I even got kicked out of a program that's supposed to help students get into a good college. My grades went down, and I have been talking back not only to my teachers but also to my mother. Mom thinks it's because my father is dead.
Can you tell me something that will help me stop talking back? -- TALKING BACK IN VIRGINIA
DEAR TALKING BACK: I have a couple of suggestions that might help. The first is, because your father passed away within the last couple of years, your mother may be right. If it's true that your problem is repressed anger over your father's death, then counseling, or a grief support group, might help you to express feelings in an acceptable way.
Another effective way to express your emotions would be to start a journal and write in it every night. A journal is a healthy place to dump anger and frustration, as well as confide your hopes, dreams and victories. The more of your feelings you get "out," the fewer your outbursts will be -- and that's a promise.