September 4, 2019 I’m Freaking Out!!! Hi Nikki, I’m claustrophobic, which means I’m afraid of small, enclosed spaces like inside a closet. So, obviously I HATE the tube slides at school. But this year the new thing at recess is this game called, “Clog The Slide.” It’s when someone goes to the bottom of the slide and clogs it. Then people keep sliding down and stack on each other INSIDE THE TUBE. This sounds like my WORST NIGHTMARE!!! But my friends are super into it and think it’s really fun! All they want to do is play “Clog The Slide.” I’m too scared to do it, but they’ll think I’m a baby if I say so, and also now I have nothing to do at recess! Help!!! Tube Slide Trouble Hi Tube Slide Trouble, I remember “Clog The Slide!” That was SO FUN! But if you’re scared of small, enclosed spaces, it would definitely NOT be fun for you! Especially if you’re one of the people stuck in the middle! 🙁 Although…if you want to try to be a part of things, you could probably handle being the FIRST person, couldn’t you? Because then you’d just be hanging out at the bottom, which is open. So that’s a thought! 🙂 But, I’m going to assume you don’t want to try it AT ALL. And that’s okay! We all have things we’re scared of. Sometimes it’s good to try to do them anyway and get over the fear. If you’ve got to give a report in front of the class but you’re afraid of public speaking…well, you have to figure out how to do that, not just for that assignment, but because there will be more times you will have to speak in public and it’s an important life skill. Playing clog the slide is not an important life skill. LOL! And recess is supposed to be fun. So I don’t think there’s any reason you should force yourself to do it. It seems like you’re worried about two things: your friends thinking you’re a baby. Being bored because that’s all anyone wants to do. Let’s start with the baby thing. This is one of those things where how YOU act determines what they’ll think. If you’re whiney about it, and make a big deal about how scared you are, they might think you’re a baby. But if you’re confident in telling them you just don’t want to do it, you won’t seem like a baby. You’ll just seem like someone who knows what she wants and stands up for herself. Which is really very mature. If they ask WHY, tell them confidently that you really don’t like enclosed spaces. Make it seem like it’s not a big deal. As for being bored…I mean, you don’t want to be a party pooper and try to make your friends stop doing something they’re enjoying. It’s your choice not to play. So I think you might just have to deal. That might mean sitting and watching. Maybe you could find a way to be involved, like counting how many people get inside, timing how long it takes them to get out, or whatever. Maybe it means finding something else to do. But one thing to keep in mind: this is not going to be all anyone plays all school year long. It’s just the trendy thing right now. They might be over it by next week. For sure by next month. So, hang in there! And next month, when everyone is into something different that you like, maybe be on the lookout for someone who doesn’t like that thing and see if there’s a way you can include them too! Have you ever been afraid or just not interested in the latest fad your friends were into? How did you handle it? Tell us in the comments below!
Brave one says September 17, 2019 at 1:12 pm OMG! I think you should tell your friends that you wanna play something else!!
Cupcake girl says September 15, 2019 at 4:34 pm I’m scared to do just a Ferris Wheel and it was really embarrassing one time when I was on the top of a Ferris Wheel and we had to have my dad tell the guy to get me down. What do I do to stop being afraid to do just a Ferris Wheel?
Devu says September 15, 2019 at 10:56 am Hi Nikki! My friends always say that pink is a very weird color…only weirdos like pink.But I really love the color pink….and I am embarrassed to tell them I like pink…so instead I just lie to them….can you help me plssss.
cardi b fan says September 17, 2019 at 12:11 pm don’t be afraid of what people think… u should never hide your intrests u will be more confident tho… good luck!!!
TheStripedParrot says September 18, 2019 at 4:36 am Hi Devu! YES, I know you didn’t specifically ask ME for help, but I couldn’t help getting kind of ticked off at your friends’ comments. As an (amateur) artist, I highly DENY that PINK is a WEIRD color!! And pink is NOT just for weirdos!! Pink is actually a VERY COOL color! Like, flamingos are pink, pigs are pink, some very beautiful flowers are pink, and even the sunset sky is sometimes streaked pink ! The color pink doesn’t just represent being all soppy and girly. I did some research and found that light shades of pink symbolizes friendship, affection, inner peace, harmony and friendship, while bright and vibrant shades like hot pink represent boldness, possibly sass and confidence. As for being embarrassed about telling them that this AWESOME color is YOUR favorite, it isn’t their business to interfere with your personality. And it’s not right to lie to them about it. Tell them that YOU like pink and that’s not for them to deal with. I hope that helped! ♪(^∇^*) -TheStripedParrot
Dreamer says September 15, 2019 at 8:43 am I did that at my school, it wasn’t scary. The thing is you don’t have to do it because you can hurt yourself (that happened to me like a lot of times) and when you want to get out, I think you guys have to reset the game. ok? Always Dream! -Dreamer
The big sister says September 14, 2019 at 10:40 pm Sup Nikki soo I have a problem.i have 4 little siblings and they are very annoying.
Gggg says September 14, 2019 at 10:03 pm I really to don’t like high things either just shut your eyes
every body gets scared says September 14, 2019 at 9:02 pm you’ll be fine and there’s no reason to be scared
horselover100 says September 14, 2019 at 3:25 pm I hate clog the slide I played this but the water slide one its so I don’t know but I hate it but my friends do it I have no choice and I end up screaming “I WANT OUT GET ME OUT!”
Noob Girl says September 14, 2019 at 1:52 pm DON`T LET PURE PRESSURE GET TO YOU GIRL TELL YOUR FRIENDS THE TRUTH IF THEY LAUGH OR BE MEAN TO YOU THEN JUST IGNORE THEM BE YOUR SELF .
KittyKind says September 14, 2019 at 12:22 pm Nikki is right. Clog The Slide is WILL go out of style soon! That’s what happened to me. But hang in there, it’ll happen SOON!
You have a good heart, says September 14, 2019 at 3:49 am We used to play a game called the wolf game and it went on from September to the last day of School before the winter break started!
DorkPrincess says September 13, 2019 at 10:41 pm I can totally sympathise! I’m also claustrophobic, and I’m too afraid to go through those enclosed slides as well! I get it, but just try it out, and be one of people that go first so you can get out if you need to. Hang in there! Your friend, DorkPrincess
I am a dork says September 13, 2019 at 6:57 pm When phones where trendy, i didn’t have one, so i perserveried.
Emma lock says September 13, 2019 at 4:45 pm Hi Niki I’m a really big fan and I love your books so much:-)
Emma lock says September 13, 2019 at 4:39 pm Hi Niki I’m a really big fan but I a problem with my bff Mary she is always stealing and breaking apart my things and cussing and being super mean can u please help me
it's ok to be scared says September 13, 2019 at 3:43 pm It’s ok to be scared, (some people say most of the time) but ALL THE TIME! Being scared is fine, and if they were your real friends they wouldn’t call you a baby, i’m just saying.
fear of friendship says September 13, 2019 at 11:56 am Dear,Nikki sometimes the older kids at my school are nice to me and sometimes they keep me out of things. I feel left out most of the time. They talk behind my back and sometimes I think it is about me. I just wished I could be better friends with me. They are nice most of the time but they don’t tell me every thing. I am scared they don’t really want to be my friend.