Ask Emily: Back to work blues

Dear Emily: I am worried about my parents’ reaction when meeting my boyfriend. See, I am 16 years old, and “Charlie” is 18. We met at a party, and have been dating for a few weeks. My parents want to meet him, but I haven’t gotten around to telling them yet about the age difference. I don’t want them to freak out or embarrass me in front of Charlie when they find out, so how do I break the news to them in a way they’ll understand?
— Age is Just a Number

Dear Age is Just a Number: For starters, don’t break the news to them in front of Charlie. Giving them time to digest the news before meeting your boyfriend should cut back on the freaking-out part in front of him. Also, explain to them what you and Charlie have in common. It’s hard for parents to see any positive reasons why an older boy would want to date a younger girl. If you can explain this to them, they might be more approving. Finally, be honest with your parents. Trying to hide information only gives them cause for concern.

Dear Emily: Someone in my apartment building is stealing my Wi-Fi. I pay every month for my internet service, and because other people are too cheap to pay, they pick up on my connection. This, in turn, makes my Internet extremely slow. I don’t know who is responsible, so I can’t exactly go door-to-door accusing my neighbors, but this mooching off of me has to stop. Any ideas on how I can find the culprit?
— Looking for Bandwidth Bandit

Dear Looking for Bandwidth Bandit: The easiest solution is to password-protect your connection. If you forget how, call your Internet provider and ask for set-up instructions. If, however, you are more interested in catching a thief than solving your piggybacking problem, good luck. There are ways to determine what devices have connected to your network, but it isn’t easy to connect that data with actual user names. Don’t forget, your thief could be a neighbor, or he could just be someone parked outside in a car.

Dear Emily: I’ve been a stay-at-home-mom for several years now, and I am about to go back to work in a few weeks. I am worried that I won’t be able to keep up with the pace of a full-time job. It’s not like I sat around all day with my children and watched television, but I wasn’t exactly pushing myself all day long either to do work. What if I can’t cut it in an office?
— Back to Work Blues

Dear Back to Work Blues: Don’t underestimate yourself. Being a stay-at-home mom is a time-consuming, tiring, emotionally and physically demanding job. You don’t get a break from being a parent. Ever. So instead of doubting yourself, work on building your confidence. Remind yourself, these other employees have nothing on you — you are used to working 24-7 and can handle whatever they have to give you. Having faith in yourself will get you a long way when it comes to accomplishing your goals.