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I want her to be successful and to take full advantage of all that this school has to offer. How can I help her without transferring any of my negative thoughts and worries on to her?

No Diversity

A As I鈥檓 sure you know, there are many positives to attending a same-sex school and yes, the obvious lack of diversity. Regardless of sexual identity, the female and male brain are wired differently. And, as hard as we try, gender stereotypes still exist.

In an all-girls school, your daughter may flourish, recognizing that her peer group are just like her and whatever they can do, she can also do. Often, girls shy away from areas where boys dominate. In a coed school, if the boys are all on the basketball court, a girl will often shy away from joining in, self-conscious about her abilities and, depending on her age, her appearance.

You鈥檙e smart and open to have agreed to a two-year trial. Keep your concerns to yourself, and if it goes awry, don鈥檛 say 鈥淚 told you so鈥� to your husband. Hopefully, your worries will be for naught and she will excel.

Q Why are some people so easy going and some so tightly wound? Can we not walk down the street on a beautiful sunny summer’s day and say hello to the people we pass? Can we not smile and appreciate the weather and the fact we鈥檙e healthy and alive?

My questions come after opting to walk home from work a few days ago as the temperature was perfect, warm but not too hot, and I was wearing appropriate footwear. I didn鈥檛 set out to perform a sociological test on the community but it turned out that way. Of the people I counted, I probably passed over 100 humans within speaking distance. I smiled at almost everyone and received a smile back 65 per cent of the time. And I鈥檒l say that another 10 per cent didn鈥檛 see my smile.

Why did those other people not smile at me? Why, of the 30 people with whom I engaged, did only 20 engage back positively? Why are people so dark and gloomy?聽

Disappointed

A First, let me applaud your healthy choice in getting some cardiovascular exercise by walking home. Second, I also applaud your optimism and positivity. The world needs more people like you, open and friendly and full of life.

But don鈥檛 be disappointed; you need to simply lower your expectations. And in this case, give people the benefit of the doubt. You were generous in your thought process that perhaps some people didn鈥檛 notice you smiling at them. But also consider those people who are shy, introverted, not comfortable with strangers smiling at them. Same with those who didn鈥檛 engage back with you. Perhaps there was a language barrier, perhaps they didn鈥檛 hear you, perhaps they were caught up in conversation or lost in thought.

Yes, watching the news, the world is a dark place right now, but keep on shining your light, being you. Better that your light brightens someone else than their darkness dampens your light.

FEEDBACK Regarding the teenage tricks (June 21):

Reader:聽鈥淚 enjoy your columns. However, you described the man’s later remembrance of the sexual encounter as 鈥榮weet.鈥� I beg to differ; he was not helping a damsel in distress. His intentions were anything but honourable and were instead opportunistic and bordering on exploitative.

鈥淎s for the girl, her request of a stranger is mind-boggling. He said later he had loved her innocence (meaning, was aroused by it and commensurately, by her inexperience) and was glad to 鈥榖e of service鈥� as though he鈥檇 helped her select an item at Canadian Tire.

鈥淔or their initial encounter to qualify as sweet, meeting at the fair and subsequently attending a movie would fit the bill with the added benefit of the story being able to be shared with their new partners.鈥�

Lisi:聽You鈥檙e free to have your own opinion. Just to be clear, he wasn鈥檛 a stranger; he was a friend.