I would like to know what issue make this teenager a Republican:

- Does she hate the idea of taxes? And if so, why? And does she understand what they are for?

- Has she been convinced that things like homosexuality and abortion are morally wrong and must be fought to the trenches?

- Does she want to be rescued from sex education?

- Does she object to business regulations they don't teach you about in high school?

Or is it that her Republican boyfriend has bullied his views into her without her ever realizing it?

Ma'am, the "little lord" nickname your parents have given your boyfriend sounds like it refers more to his demeanor than his hight. Have you joined his youth group yet?

If you take a good long look at your opinions and beliefs and find that they've changed to be more similar to his, please remember that it is incredibly easy to stand in awe of a confident, assertive person whose intelligence you respect and with whom you feel you are in love, and sometimes that awe is enough to win you over in matters of opinion without you even realizing why you've changed your mind.

I'm not saying this is definitely what has happened to you, but your mother's light-hearted criticism may actually indicate a deeper unhappiness she feels about the way your boyfriend treats you and the ways your habits, choices and opinions have changed since meeting him.

You owe it to yourself to sit your mother down and say,

"Mom, the nickname you've given my boyfriend is derogatory, and it bothers me. His Republican opinions do not bother me, so if they are the reason for the teasing, please stop it out of respect for me and the partner I've chosen for the time being.

HOWEVER, I do hope that, as my mother, you will tell me directly and in a non-insulting manner whether there is another reason you don't like him. Do you disapprove of the way he talks to me or treats me? Please be specific. It likely will not change my mind about my feelings toward him, but at least I will understand your thoughts and be aware of your concerns. Please be honest with me now, and then stop the name-calling for good."

If you sincerely believe that ANY fifteen-year-old-girl in the throes of "love" would actually be able to sit still and string three reasonable words together when faced with teasing from ANYONE, let alone the evil Mom-monster, then I've got some swampland you can have, cheap.

Her best strategy is to meet teasing with silence. That is ALWAYS the best strategy when faced with teasing of any kind by anyone.

If she wants to print this out and read it, that's fine, as long as she asks the question.

I just know parental teasing of a significant other is usually a front for some deeper source of discomfort. Maybe the guy comes from a wealthier family, which makes her mom uncomfortable. Or maybe he's a patronizing kid with short-man syndrome who has to invalidate everything his girlfriend says that doesn't fall in line with his own ego-tied posturing.

Obviously the "I am in love", combined with the fatalist over-reaction to the teasing is a red flag that he is probably prone to temper tantrums and that she is afraid that he won't love her if she speaks her mind or tells him to just deal with the fact that not everyone agrees with him. Then again, her hiding her opinions from her parents may mean that she's too timid to speak for herself to anyone.

Selene212 wrote: "I would like to know what issue make this teenager a Republican"?

I've run into a few right wing women who could "convert" me for some regular ... er .."relations". Fortunately (or unfortunately) I wasn't their type so I didn't have my views tested in this manner.

No, see you're missing the point. It doesn't MATTER that the kid is a Republican. If he were into hunting bunnies and eating them raw under the light of the full moon, she'd be defending THAT to the death, too!

She's 15! Anyone that looks at her sideways "hates" her and is "against" her. She might well be "afraid" that her boyfriend will leave her, but only inasfar as her parents aren't "cool". The only one that's having temper tantrums is her!

You're reading way too much into the specifics of this. The only negative impact that her parents teasing could have is that she'll stick with this kid for way too long, just to spite them. If they left it alone, she'd have a new boyfriend by the weekend.

False alarm ! The kid has moved to the American Idol board where she belongs

Slawrence5:

I wasn't their type so I didn't have my views tested in this manner.

I wasn't their type; I doubt my views on any issue would have mattered.

I just tell women any bullshit they want to hear - they all think I'm their type....

richard noggin:

I just tell women any bullshit they want to hear - they all think I'm their type....

& That's why we love Dick!

You're missing the point. The issue is not that the girl is Republican (which is not a bad thing to be), the issue is that her family are rude, obnoxious people.

Selene, you are as bad as the young girl's parents. The teenager asked for help with a problem with her parents verbal abuse of Republicans and of her boyfriend. You are not helping her with her problem, you feel she should prove why she has her political views. This is not about a political debate, it is about a family who is verbally abusive. If for no other reason than her parents' demeanor when talking politics, she has reason to NOT be a Democrat. Her parents are not indicative of the party and there are plenty of the same in the Republican party, but she is having to live with loved ones who are the example of a party, and they are doing a very poor job of representing their party.

You wrote: "Ma'am, the "little lord" nickname your parents have given your boyfriend sounds like it refers more to his demeanor than his hight. Have you joined his youth group yet?" reflects that you have the same attitude as her parents, you are just sugar coating it. Have you joined his youth group? Are you assuming that just because a teenager is conservative that the teenager must be brainwashed? That is a bad as assuming that just because a teenager is liberal he/she must be a hippie drug addict or that they are rebelling against society or some other nonsense. The fact remains that there is more than one way to perceive situations and often there is more than one resolution that will work well. This teenager's family is acting worse than a group of grade school children. Instead of supporting a child's right to think independently, they are browbeating her and her boyfriend. I suspect this isn't the only time they are overbearing and verbally abusive because the girl is afraid to tell her parents of her political views. The abuse is by the parents, not the boyfriend.