Q: Talk to a family member or friend and ask what they most need help with and offer your services. By offering before they need to ask you, you are showing that you care about them.  Remember to follow through with whatever they've asked of you. Simply asking won't actually help them. Make a routine of asking around your circle of friends and family for what they need. Before long, helping others will simply be second nature to you! Often what people need is simply someone who will listen to them with kindness and without judgement. When someone is telling you about themselves, or a hardship they are going through, don't simply leap in with your own feelings, thoughts, and stories.  Practice active listening. When you're listening to someone, stay focused on what they are saying. Look at the speaker and let go of distracting thoughts. If your mind wanders, the other person will notice and they won't feel like you are paying attention.  Try to avoid making judgments on the person you're listening to. Not only will that close up the conversation, but it will make the other person feel as if they can't trust you with their thoughts. When someone is busy or stressed chores and jobs often slip through the cracks. Find out from your family and friends what they're too busy or stressed to do for themselves and set aside some time to do the chore or job for them.  Do something like, make a meal and bring it over to their house during a particularly busy or stressful time, so they don't have to worry about feeding themselves. This is a particularly kind thing to do for someone who has just had a loved one die, or become seriously ill. Offer to watch your younger siblings, or friend's children for free to give the parents a much needed break. A lot of times people can feel cut off from their friends and family and very alone. Just let a friend or family member know that you're thinking of them and that they are important to you. It doesn't have to be a big, grand gesture, something small will do fine.  Write a nice email or letter and include some reason why you like the recipient. Maybe reminisce about something fun or silly the two of you did. If they've recently had a family member die or fall ill (or are struggling with depression) tell them why they are important to you. Make up a care package. Maybe put in some home-baked goods or some little things that they might enjoy. If they like to knit, maybe include a skein of a colorful yarn in the package.
A: Ask what you can do to help. Listen. Offer to do jobs or chores. Send something to let them know you're thinking of them.

Q: Don't try to upgrade everything.  Upgrade buildings you need, such as your Town Hall or Barracks.  Upgrading too much can give you more storage than you need. You don't need to have your base spread out across the map.  Many players agree that having most of your base concentrated in the middle is a good strategy. Place your storages and town hall in the center of your base, behind the defenses and walls. This will prevent enemies from having time to attack your huts when they attack your town. After you have gained resources, make your base even stronger by upgrading walls and other defenses. Traps do a lot of damage to attacking enemies and are worth upgrading. The one-time-hit damage can easily take out groups of smaller troops and seriously hurt larger types too. Put them in sneaky places that people wouldn't expect. Eventually, you can aspire to more advanced defenses, such as archer towers, and air defenses. Mortars do a lot of damage per shot but they shoot very slowly. Keep these in the center of your base because of their blind spot and their superb range. If you do not protect your air defenses your base will fall to healers.
A: Upgrade only what you need. Make sure your base is concentrated in one area. Keep your key buildings in the most defensible position. Put builders huts in the corners. Continue to improve your defenses. Use traps as much as possible. Protect all of your defenses.

Q: General etiquette rules dictate that you need to send thank you notes within two weeks of the funeral. Your friends and loved ones know you’re grieving, so if you take longer to send the notes out, don’t worry. A late thank you note is better than no thank you note at all. If the prospect of thanking dozens of people after the death of a loved one feels overwhelming, don’t hesitate to ask those around you for help. Even if it’s sending someone to the post office to buy you stamps or envelopes, delegate tasks to close friends or family members. Finally, don’t feel bad if you don’t get around to thank you notes. While they are a key component of good etiquette, during times of grief, etiquette can take a backseat to our mourning. So if you can’t emotionally get through the thank you notes, don’t beat yourself up for not finishing them.
A: Try to send them within two weeks. Solicit help if you need it. Remember that thank you notes are not a requirement.

Q: Most states have laws regarding substance abuse in parents and child protection. Depending on your state, your mother being hooked on drugs may be classified as child abuse or neglect. In some states, it is considered child abuse or neglect, if:  Your mother prepares or makes drugs in your presence or in the same place where you are Your mother stores or uses chemicals or equipment for preparing drugs around you Your mother sells or gives drugs or alcohol to you or another child Your mother gets high and is unable to care for you Your mother has you around people who sell drugs Unfortunately, there's not anything you can do to stop your mother from using drugs, and that is not your responsibility anyway. Your mother is an adult and is the only one who can make choices for herself. But, you can talk with an adult who may be able to intervene on your behalf. Think of someone you trust and feel comfortable talking to--it can be a coach, the school counselor, a religious leader, an aunt/uncle, or a grandparent. This person may be able to break through to your mother and explain how her behavior is affecting you. This person may also be able to offer you temporary care and support during this confusing time. An intervention is a face-to-face meeting facilitated by a professional mental health provider that allows family members and friends to share their  feelings about the addiction. Your mother may not realize how negatively her drug use is affecting everyone. Staging an intervention may help your mom recognize that she needs help and that she has the support of those who love her.  To  stage an intervention, ask a trusted adult to help you contact a psychologist, addictions counselor, social worker, interventionist, or psychiatrist to coordinate the meeting. Any family members and close friends may be allowed to attend. The group will determine a possible course of action to help your mother get help. You all might look up treatment facilities and generally learn more about addiction in order to understand what your mother is going through. If you find yourself in a situation where your mother needs immediate help or support, call the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Helpline and Treatment Hotline at 1-800-234-0246. Or, call 911 or your local emergency department. If your mother's drug use has placed you in danger or you are being abused, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE.
A:
Know your rights. Tell a trusted adult. Participate in an intervention. Make a call for help.