Ask Nattie

Nattie Swan is St. Charles Parish’s best new advice columnist for kids and their parents. Let her help you. Send questions to editor@heraldguide.com.

My younger brother keeps stealing my cash

Dear Nattie: My 13-year-old brother is really bothering me. He swipes money out of my purse.

And I’ve also caught him shaking coins out of my piggy bank.

He admits it to me, but when I told my mom to make him stop, he denied everything.

And she believed him!

When I said he wasn’t being truthful with her, did she listen to me? No!

She grounded me for a week for saying “bad things” about “my own flesh and blood.”

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

I’m trying to save money for a prom dress and getting nowhere fast. – Robbed in Ama

Dear Robbed: The best advice I can give you for this would be to invest in a bank that you can lock.

Make sure that only you know the code to the lock, and put your money in that bank.

In order for your brother to be caught you need evidence he did it.

You might be able to catch him in the act on a hidden video camera.

Or with a tape recorder if you feel like you want to really catch him in the act.

I know that it’s not fun having someone so close to you, steal from you.

My boyfriend makes me wash his new car

Dear Nattie: I don’t think I should have to wash my boyfriend’s car just because he takes me places.

But he says if I don’t wash it every Saturday, he’ll find a girlfriend who will.

It’s true that he has a brand new car and it’s really nice and I like riding in it.

I also like having him as my boyfriend.

I really wouldn’t mind washing his car that much if he helped me, but he doesn’t.

Should I just go ahead and do it or is there some way to negotiate? – Feeling Used in Hahnville

Dear Hahnville: You should ask him to help you with his car because you are not the only one that rides in it – he does, too!

I don’t think that you should have to wash the car alone though – your guy is WRONG to ask.

Maybe you should just stop riding with him.

Get a friend to take you to meet your boyrfriend instead.

This way you don’t have to wash and he can learn a lesson.