March 30, 2019 MY FRIEND WILL BE MAD IF I TRY OUT FOR SPORTS!!! Dear Brandon, Me and my BFF have always thought popular people like athletes and cheerleaders were mean, rude, self-centered, and obsessed with their team sport. But…lately I’ve wanted to try out for cheer and basketball! I’m scared my BFF will get mad and won’t be my friend anymore if I try out for these teams. HELP!!! So Not A CCP Hey So Not A CCP, This situation sounds really tricky. But, to be honest, I think it’s going to turn out better than you expect. I think your friend will be surprised, for sure. But mad? Only if you completely dump her and turn into a mean, rude, self-centered person who’s obsessed with their team sport or whatever. You sound like a nice person, so I don’t think you’re going to do that. And neither do ALL athletes and cheerleaders. Because there’s a lot more to them than some silly stereotype. They’re people, after all. Good, bad, and sporty. 🙂 It’s easy to talk badly about cute, cool, popular people, or as Nikki calls them, “CCPs.” They seem untouchable, like they have all the power. A lot of times, we assume CCPs are looking down on us, so we look down on them first. But the truth is, they’re just living their lives, with all their own insecurities too. There’s this thing my grandma says all the time: When you know better, you do better. It’s from an author named Maya Angelou. Sometimes we do, say or think certain things because we don’t have enough information. Now, that doesn’t let us off the hook. Sometimes we don’t have enough information because we’ve been too lazy or judgmental to learn more about whatever it is. But eventually we learn more, and then we know better, and then we change our attitude and our actions. So you’ve learned more about cheer and basketball. Enough to want to do them yourself. And as you do them, you’ll get to know the other people who do them, and your point of view will change. So can your BFF’s! When you tell your BFF about your new interests, explain WHY you’re interested in cheer and basketball. Maybe she’ll want to join you. And whether she does or not, maybe she’ll see cheerleaders and athletes in a new light if you become one. Just make sure your friend knows you’re not dumping her for these new activities. You’re just trying something new, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Hey guys, do you think it’s okay to start doing something that your friends don’t like? What advice do you have for So Not A CCP?