DEAR ABBY: I am 14, just got my first boyfriend, and I don't know how to tell my mom. I don't want to ask my friends because I don't want them to know that I haven't told my mom yet. She can be overprotective sometimes, and I'm afraid she will go crazy because her one and only daughter has her first boyfriend. I feel guilty because I don't want to lie and not tell her about him. Please help. -- DESPERATE IN LONGVIEW, TEXAS
DEAR DESPERATE: Many people your age see each other in groups. If the young man isn't already a part of your group of friends, start including him. That way, your mother can meet and get to know him, and the concept that you might like each other won't be threatening to her. I agree that she must be told because you are at an age when a daughter should be able to tell her mother anything.