DR. WALLACE: A new girl started attending my church a couple of months ago and she appears to be really friendly. I've talked with her several times in these last eight weeks and we seem to have several things in common. I decided I'd like to take her out so I asked her out a couple of weeks ago and she said she would give it some thought. Well, it's now nearly three weeks since I asked her, so I inquired if she had made a decision. She said she thought I was rushing things and that she really didn't know much about me. I said that she could ask me any question and that I'd answer her truthfully, but she said she didn't have a question at the moment.

Well, I asked her again after church last Sunday, but she said, "Not yet, but please don't force the issue." I never expected her to make such a big deal about it. I was very surprised because I just wanted to know if the answer was simply a yes or no.

My older sister told me that she didn't think this girl really wanted to go out with me, but she was just too timid to tell me the answer is no. What do you think I should do? I'm tired of asking her for an answer and it's obvious that she's tired of trying to make up her mind. Now my sister thinks I should just stop talking with her because it would be a waste of time. I tend to agree with my sister. — Nameless, Flint, Mich.

NAMELESS: Just stop asking her about going out with you, but do continue talking to her. She'll let you know if the answer ever turns out to be yes — and maybe it will, if she feels she can make the decision without pressure.

If you turn your attention away from her, she'll have a chance to give you a better look. Of course, if she takes too long to make up her mind, you might have changed yours!

TALL GUYS WON'T DATE ME

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and I'm very short — only 5 feet in my stocking feet. Since I'm so short, I'm very self-conscious when it comes to dating. Somehow I have it in my head that tall guys won't look at me because I'm such a "shrimp."

My mom is also short, and she keeps telling me that a lot of tall guys like to date short girls. Is this true, or is she just trying to be a good mother and make me feel better? Actually, I'm told I have a good personality and I'm not bad-looking either. — Rosa, El Paso, Tex.

ROSA: Please read the following letter from Debbie in South Bend, Indiana. She'll answer your question.

IT'S CHARACTER THAT COUNTS

DR. WALLACE: I'm writing this letter to all the short teens out there who consider their height to be a handicap when it comes to dating. I felt the same way when I was in high school. When I graduated I was a whopping 4 feet 11 inches tall. Because I thought I'd feel uncomfortable dating a tall guy, I only dated guys a few inches taller than I was. As you can surmise, I didn't go out on many dates.

Things changed when I went to college. There I observed basketball players dating girls only a little taller than I am. To make a long story short, I started dating a guy who was 6 feet 4 inches tall, and after we graduated we were married! When we first started dating, I asked him what attracted him to me and he said, "I like things that come in small packages." — Debbie, South Bend, Ind.

DEBBIE: Thanks for sharing your story with our teen readers. It's really not how tall a person is, it's a person's character that really counts!

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.