DR. WALLACE: I bowl in a teen league once a week and met a girl from a neighboring high school. We are both 14 years old and have become good friends. For her Christmas present, her parents let her get a rather radical haircut. It's very short on one side and shoulder-length on the other. I thought it looked funny the first time I saw it, but after a few weeks, I got used to it and didn't think anything more about it.

Last night, Ashley needed a ride home. I called my father and he said that he would give her a ride home — and he did. But after he let Ashley out of the car, he told me that she was a "hippie" and probably a non-conformist troublemaker and that I couldn't have her for a friend anymore, and if I did, he would pull me out of the bowling league.

It so happens that Ashley is really a "goody-good." She gets good grades and has done fewer "questionable" things than some of my other friends. She also teaches Sunday School for pre-school children, and her father and mother are both medical professionals.

Do you think my dad is overreacting? — Nameless, Ann Arbor, Mich.

NAMELESS: Unfortunately, appearance is noticed first when we meet someone for the first time, and in many cases, it's a lasting impression. Yes, I think your dad is overreacting. Is it possible to invite mom to the next bowling session? Maybe if she gets the chance to know Ashley a little better, she will be able to convince dad that she is a fine young lady and a model citizen.

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BE A SOCIAL DRINKER?

DR. WALLACE: Do all people who drink alcohol eventually wind up having drinking problems? I'm 17 and it would be important for me to be a social drinker when I'm of age, but I sure as heck don't want to have a drinking problem. It already has caused my parents to divorce. — Nameless, Dyer, Ind.

NAMELESS: Be careful. According to a Harvard University study on addiction, 100 million Americans consume alcohol, and an estimated 20 million of them have what could be considered to be drinking problems, which, for your information, is an extremely high percentage.

Since alcohol abuse caused your parents to end their marriage, why would you want to become a social drinker? Wouldn't it be more prudent to avoid drinking alcohol at any time?

WHAT IS A BLUSH?

DR. WALLACE: Whenever I'm embarrassed or find myself in an awkward situation, I blush. What is a blush? What happens to make my cheeks turn red? — Ruby, Lake Charles, La.

RUBY: Blushing is a reaction of the nervous system which regulates the opening and closing of blood vessels of the skin. Extra blood rushes to the surface of the skin when a person becomes nervous, and we call this blushing. Everyone blushes, but some blush more than others.

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.