LaVina Hawkins is a 45-year-old who lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. When she was 9, she went to her first sleepover and was teased by the other girls. She called her mom and asked to be picked up.

My youngest brother is nearly 20 and is away at university. I am 27 and live in our hometown, and I see our parents nearly every day. My brother comes home semi-regularly, at Christmas and maybe a ...