Q: Make sure that you can talk privately and without interruption. Say to your parents, “Do you have time to talk after dinner tonight? I have something important to tell you.” Ask them to sit with you somewhere comfortable, like your living room or bedroom. Try not to start the conversation when they are busy or trying to head out the door.  If you want to come out to a friend, you can say, “Hey, do you want to come over after soccer practice? I have something I'd like to talk to you about.” If you are worried that the other person might get angry, choose to have the conversation somewhere public, like a nearby coffee shop. You don't want to make it sound like you're sharing bad news. You can be proud of who you are! Use a positive tone of voice and make eye contact. You can say something like, “I wanted to let you know that I'm gay. I'm finally feeling really comfortable with myself.”  You could also try, “I'm a lesbian and I'm ready to start dating girls. This is a big step for me!” Hopefully, the other person will take a cue from your positivity and react in a similar way. It's also okay to share any other feelings that you might have. Maybe you're feeling anxious, nervous, or scared. You can share that part of yourself, too, and ask for support.  Try saying, “I'm excited to tell you, but I'm nervous about how others might react. Maybe you could help me figure out who else I want to tell?” You could also say, “I'm glad I told you, but this has been a really emotional process for me. I could use some extra.” Other people, especially your parents, might not know exactly what it means to identify as LGBTQ. They might also need information on how to support you. You can give them a lot of good information. Take a look at the websites of groups like PFLAG (https://pflag.org/). You can print off information or just tell them about the site.  If there is an LGBTQ community center in your town or at your school, you can swing by there to grab some helpful pamphlets. You could say, “I know you might not understand. Here's some information that might help things more clear.” Your parents or friends might have a lot of things they want to know. If they start asking you lots of questions they are probably coming from a supportive place of wanting to understand you. You can answer the questions if you want to but it's always fine to say, “I really don't feel comfortable talking about that.”  A common question is “Are you sure?” You can say something like, “Yes, I'm very clear on the type of person that I would like to date. I'm not confused.” They might also ask, “Are you ready for your life to change?” A good answer might be, “I'm a little nervous, actually. I'm hoping I can count on your support.” Remember that this is your personal information. It's normal for other people to want to discuss big news, so be aware that they might want to talk about this with someone else. Let them know whether or not this is okay.  You could say to your parents, “I'd really appreciate if you don't tell any other family members. I'll let you know when I'm ready to do that.” To a friend, you might say, “Let's keep this to ourselves for now. Please don't share this with our other friends unless I say it is okay.”
A: Choose a time and place free from distractions. Focus on the positives. Be honest about your emotions. Provide educational resources to help them understand. Expect to answer personal questions. Be very clear about who they can tell.

Q: There are a wide range of online text art tools that allow you to combine your quote with an image. These tools will allow you to choose from a selection of fonts, templates, colors and background images, so you don’t need to be a graphic designer to make an inspirational or sarcastic quote on social media. There are various text art tools that you can use, which include both free and paid platforms for making social media quotes. You can choose between an image from a template or your own image. If you want to get really creative, you could take a photograph of something that inspired your quote, upload it and then insert your quote over the image. If you are short on time, just pick one of the image templates. If you wrote the quote in a text edit program, you will need to cut and paste it into the text box in the text art software. Some of the programs will give you one text box to include both the quote and the author, whereas others will give you a text box for the quote and another box for the author attribution. Don't worry if the text fits into the text box just yet. You will fix that when you format it. Once you have your image and your quote in the text art program, you can play around with the formatting. For instance, you could try:  Putting the quote in italics or bold Changing the font face, such as Times New Roman, Arial, etc. Switching the colors of the text so that it stands out against the background. Making the background slightly transparent to make the message stand out even more. If you want to create your social media quotes with your mobile phone or tablet, there are a variety of text art tools that can help. Mobile applications allow you to create a quote, choose a font and background image and then share it on social media. You can also save the images to your phone or email them to yourself.  Whims is a popular mobile quote application. It is a free application for iOS devices. PicLab works on iOS, Android and Windows phones. Once you have added photos or background images to your quote, you can share it on social media platforms such as Instagram of Facebook. The combination of text and image makes for a more popular social media post than text alone.
A: Use a text art tool. Find an image for your quote. Cut and paste your quote into the program. Format the quote. Use a mobile application. Share your quote on social media.

Q: Pour all-purpose flour for baking into your balloon for your stress ball. This creates a ball that is soft and squishy and will more or less hold the shape you form it into.  You can also use other common powdered baking ingredients that you have on hand, like cornstarch or baking soda. Or use sand, if you have it available, for a slightly grainier texture. Note that this filling can be messier if spills occur, but it is popular for its low expense and the satisfying texture it creates for a stress ball. Try small dry beans, lentils, rice, or birdseed to fill your balloon for the stress ball. This creates a firmer, more textured ball, like a bean bag.  This type of filling doesn’t create as squishy of a ball, but it can be easier to get into the balloon and creates less of a mess if spilled. Note that birdseed or dry goods may have sharp or cracked fragments that could create a hole in the balloon for your stress ball. Prevent this by using several layers of balloons to make a thicker surface for your stress ball, or opting for a smoother filling material instead. You can also mix dry beans with flour for a filling that is a mixture of firm and soft. Try half beans and half flour, or whatever combination creates a texture you like. Use a modeling clay product or playdough to put into your balloon. This creates a stress ball that is very squishy and holds its shape well.  Be aware that many modeling clays and play doughs will dry up over time when left exposed to the air. Though you will be putting it inside a tied balloon, it may not be completely airtight and your stress ball could harden after a couple days or weeks. Note that solids like modeling clay or playdough can be more difficult to get into a balloon successfully. Use a funnel as with any other filling, and roll the clay or dough into thin snakes to help get it through and into the balloon.
A:
Use flour for a soft and malleable ball. Use dried beans or birdseed for a firmer ball. Try modeling clay or playdough.