DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and had been going with a nice guy for over six months when I started to feel trapped and I needed my freedom. It was really hard for me to break up with him because I felt I had broken his heart. I avoided him at school because I felt so bad that I couldn't look him in the eye.

Then a few days ago I found out that he is dating one of my former friends. This really bothers me because she is not a nice person and I despise her. I even lie in bed at night and think of all the fun times this guy and I had and how foolish I was to break up with him.

I'm positive that I could get him back if I tried, but I'm afraid people will think I'm a real devil for breaking his heart and then wanting him back. What should I do? — Gina, South Bend, Ind.

GINA: The only reason you now want to get your ex-boyfriend back is that he is dating your former friend whom you now dislike intensely. Don't do anything to try to rekindle a romance with him. You have already broken his heart once. That's enough! Be an angel, not a devil!

MOM'S BOYFRIEND GIVES ME THE CREEPS

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and live with my mother and her live-in boyfriend. I really don't like him because he doesn't treat my mother very well. Her boyfriend hasn't said or done anything to me, but I've seen him leering at me, especially when I'm in my pajamas. I've told my mother about this, but she just pooh-poohed it. Whenever I'm home alone with him before my mom gets home he gives me the creeps.

I told my dad about the situation and he was really upset. He told me that I should move in with him and his new wife. I love my mother very much and would never think of leaving her if it weren't for her boyfriend. But now I'm thinking that it would be best for me to move in with my dad and his wife. I can always move back with my mother if she ever decides to get rid of her creepy boyfriend. I'd rather be safe than sorry. What do you think I should do? — Nameless, San Diego, Calif.

NAMELESS: You gave all the right answers about moving in with your father. I totally agree. No young lady should be afraid to live in her own home, for any reason.

U.S. HAS HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF TEEN PREGNANCIES

DR. WALLACE: My 17-year-old cousin recently came to visit our family from Sweden. We are the same age, so naturally we talked about boys, and eventually sex. I was really shocked to hear how liberal the Swedish teens are when it comes to sexual activity. My cousin told me she has had sex with five boys and some of her girlfriends have been even more sexually active.

She also told me that condoms are available free both at school and at health clinics throughout Sweden. She was really surprised when she learned that American teens are so much more conservative with their sexual activity.

Are all foreign students so open with sex? — Devin, Rochester, Minn.

DEVIN: Not all countries have the liberal sexual mores of Sweden, but generally speaking, European teens are far less conservative in this area than North American teens. The United States, however, has the highest percentage of teen pregnancies in the industrial world. Why is this?

Because the attitude in most European countries today is that it's all right to be sexually active as long as condoms are used to protect against sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. This message is conveyed in the schools.

The job of sex education in the U.S. is still left mostly to the parents, and unfortunately, many parents do an inadequate job at this. Thus, we have fewer sexually active teenagers on this side of the Atlantic, but more teen pregnancies.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Quinn Dombrowski