DR. WALLACE: I'm a girl who is excited to begin dating. I've hit the magic age of 16 and like my sisters before me, I'm ready to get started with a real social life that includes dating.

But my parents just told me this past weekend that I can only be on dates for 10 hours per week! This means that I could go on a date on a Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. and get home at 9:00 p.m., I can't date again until the following week! I really feel this is restrictive and unfair.

My older sisters never had this rule, but they both played a lot of sports and so they only went on roughly one date a week when they were 16. I complained to my father about this, and he told me this is only going to be in place while I'm 16. He said that when I'm 17 he will open up this restriction.

I'm excited to start dating, but now I'm also frustrated with this rule. What do you think about this? Is my father being unfair to me? — I Need More Time for Dates, via email

I NEED MORE TIME FOR DATES: Parents can indeed set any rules they wish to impose, so my advice to you is to let your father know that you'll follow his rule, but that you hope he will give you some more leeway as you go forward.

I've never heard of a weekly cap to the amount of time on dates! I did once hear from a teen that could only go out on any one date for a specific amount of time, but your situation is indeed unique.

The silver lining for you is that you should choose who you date and where you go on your initial dates carefully. You may want to limit your time early on during new dates so that you can keep some time in reserve for other opportunities as they arise.

My guess is that your father wants you to start out slowly on your dating experiences and to have enough time to study as well. I'm not exactly sure why he has come up with this rule specifically for you, but if you are not on any sports teams, that could be the reason. Perhaps he never felt the need to keep the weekly dating hours of your older sisters in check since they didn't have as much free time to potentially socialize as you currently do.

I'D RATHER BE STARTING A BUSINESS THAN PLAYING THE PIANO

DR. WALLACE: I want to start a small business in an entrepreneurial way like a few friends of mine already have, but my parents want me to continue on with piano lessons! I'm a decent piano player for a 15-year-old, but I really am not passionate about music.

But when I think about setting up a small home-based business, I get really excited and energized! I only have so much free time after school and on weekends, so I'd like to spend it on some new business ideas I have.

Do you agree with me or with my parents regarding my piano lessons? — Entrepreneur-To-Be, via email

ENTREPRENEUR TO BE: My advice is do your best to both, as by continuing with your piano playing, your parents will be much more inclined to give you some space to try other ideas you'd like to pursue.

Start slowly with your business ideas. Read as much as you can online, and speak to others in your community. Many people create products, crafts or even service ideas that can be turned into a profitable small business.

Also visit the websites of Etsy.com, Shopify.com, eBay.com and of course Amazon.com to see a wide array of products, crafts and memorabilia that hardworking entrepreneurs offer for sale to the general public. My own family has members who are similarly interested in starting up businesses and business ideas. If you have the passion to work for yourself someday, I heartily encourage you to give a few ideas a try, especially while you are young and have segments of free time to do so.

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. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. 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.

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