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mary-jo-podgurski

Putting grades in perspective

Q. 1: I read your column about test anxiety with interest. I’m not anxious about taking tests as much as I’m anxious about getting good grades. I worry about grades all the time. It feels like my grades are all that matter to my mom. – 16-year-old ...

Q. I’m one of the teen fathers you helped. I remember you treating me with respect and encouraging me. One of the last things you said to me when I graduated was, “Call me if you need me.” Well, here I am, 25 years later. The baby we had as teens did well, mostly because her mother was ...

Easing anxiety of test-taking

Q. I’m freaking out. April’s coming, I’m nervous about PSSA tests. I hate them. They’re long. You can’t study for them, not really. And everything – I mean everything – rides on them. I want to go to college. My mom always tells me how proud she is of me. She didn’t get to go to ...

Addressing toxicity in online gaming sites

Author’s note: This column is a followup to last week’s Ask Mary Jo, where a father brought to my attention the toxic masculinity environment on some video gaming sites. After speaking with teens in our programs and at our Common Ground Teen Center, I concluded more research into the topic ...

Bad behavior in video-gaming realm

Q. Mary Jo, if you could hear some of the vile and mean things the teenage boys (and men) say to our 15-year-old daughter on the video-gaming discords, you'd wonder where these boys' moms and dads are. If a woman dares to enter their gaming space, and actually beats them, it's an unusual day ...

Seeking guidance on difficult conversation

Q. Please help me find the words to tell my mom I want to remain at college over the summer. Let me explain. This is my sophomore year. Unlike many freshmen, I loved school from the start. My mom always says she is proud of me. She’s a great mother and I know she wants the best for me. ...