Hello Teentalker,
Thank you for writing to us about your concern. This must be a very frustrating experience as many parents are unable to understand that people of the opposite sex can be friends too.
I can understand your concern over this as some people are conservative in nature and don't find heterosexual friendships natural. We become friends with people who share common opinions, values and tastes with us and they can be someone of the opposite gender as well.
However, when you’re a teenager with crazy hormones doing their thing inside your head and body, you tend to get physically attracted to someone in more than “just friends” way. If you’re not physically attracted towards someone and genuinely like each other, you can be friends irrespective of the gender.
You might face some criticism and complications from others around you, but try to ignore them as much as possible. The fact is it’s pretty awesome to have opposite-sex friend in many cases. But still you can try to mingle with friends from opposite sex too. You can let your parents know that you are only friends with the other person and are not attracted to her. They may find it hard to accept this but at the end of the day these are your decisions because you choose your friends.
Hope this is helpful. If you wish to discuss your query further, please chat with us from Monday through Saturday between 11am and 8pm or leave us an offline message.
Regards,
Expert Teentalk India
