Help Wendy Decorate Her Room

Wendy needs help choosing a color scheme for her bedroom. Because she is an artist, she likes so many colors that she can’t narrow down her selection to only a few.

What is your favorite color? Which colors would you recommend for Wendy’s room?

It is easy to decorate or give your own bedroom a new look for very little–or NO money. One way is by painting the walls a new color.

Home improvement and hardware stores sell gallons of paint in colors that are mistakes. They mixed the formula for the color wrong, and they sell the paint for as little as $5. You find the most interesting colors that way. Painting your walls is the fastest and easiest way to change the look of your room. Get permission from your parent or guardian. Maybe you’ll receive an offer of help when you explain what you want to do.

Furniture stores that sell expensive sofas and chairs GIVE AWAY beautiful pieces of fabric that you can use to make throw pillows for your bed. Some are large enough to cover a stool or chair seat. Just phone a few stores and ask if you can have some of their “discontinued swatches.” You don’t need a sewing machine because you can hand-stitch two swatches together on three sides and stuff the inside with anything from old pantyhose to plastic grocery bags to make a pillow. Of course, you can purchase pillow stuffing at a discount or fabric store if you like.

And speaking of furniture, sometimes a free wooden chair, bench, or table can be found right before trash-pickup day. Be sure to ask permission to look in someone’s dumpster or trash pile, and have a trusted adult with you. If friends or family members know you are looking for items for your room, they will often save them for you.

So, do you have any color ideas for Wendy? Have you recently changed the colors in your own room, or are you planning to do that in the future?

Name-calling

Has anyone ever called you a name, based on an aspect of your appearance? A name meant as a criticism or insult?

Sometimes someone among our family members or friends gives us an unflattering or annoying nickname. Sometimes the name-calling comes from a stranger or someone we barely know. Maybe the name-caller thinks he’s doing  no harm (except to embarrass us momentarily), or maybe he  does.

Wendy knows exactly what it feels like to be called a name. How about you?

When name-calling escalates to the point of interfering with your life or your enjoyment of it, it’s verbal bullying. Everyone is different, and you may deal with verbal bullying differently from someone else. But it is a good idea to talk about it with a parent, close friend, or school counselor.

If you have been called a name, what was it, and how old were you? No matter how old you are now and how long ago it happened, the name is probably stuck in your memory.

Please keep your comments clean and respectful. Use asterisks in place of any cuss words that were used in the name you were called. Pretend your mother is watching.