DR. WALLACE: My parents are wine connoisseurs! They love all kinds of wine, and they seemingly know exactly what type of wine to pair with each different type of meal that they serve in our home.

The good news is my parents drink only in moderation and they generally have only one glass or one and a half glasses of wine with their meals, and they don't drink any alcohol afterward.

I recently turned 18, and I also work in a restaurant that serves nice wine, but I feel it's unfair that even though I'm an adult now at 18, I still can't legally drink even a few sips of wine. Don't you think there should be an exception for 18-year-olds to drink just a half-glass of wine with their dinners? I still think that the drinking age should be 21 for beer and vodka, whiskey and all that hard alcohol stuff. I just want to quaff a little sip of wine here and there. Do you agree I should be allowed to do so legally? — Want to Sip Wine, via email

WANT TO SIP WINE: Sorry for the buzzkill, but I do not agree. Alcohol is alcohol and no matter the source, it still has the same effect on the human body.

And think about this: Once alcohol has been consumed, if it shows up in a breathalyzer test or a blood test, no one could prove whether it came from whiskey, wine, beer or any other particular type of alcohol.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY

DR. WALLACE: I'm super shy and so I have a hard time meeting people at my school. The pandemic caused me to become even shyer, if you can believe that!

I'm 16 and would like to make some new friends and also begin dating within a few months or so, but I'm feeling stuck about how to go about this. Is there anything I can do about this? — Shy Girl, via email

SHY GIRL: I feel a good way to get started with being more social and conversational is to begin by perfecting the art of asking meaningful, interesting questions! Imagine a few guys or girls you'd like to strike up a conversation with, and then think about those particular individuals.

What do they like? What do they do? Do they have interests that you know of? Once you think this through, you might take out a notebook and write out a few specific questions for each individual that you might ask. Most people love to talk about themselves, their interests and their experiences. See if you can tap into that with some interesting questions, and approach a few of them, introduce yourself and ask a question from your list!

I trust you'll get a nice reply, and the other person will "carry" the conversation initially, which will make you feel more comfortable. Be sure to also write down in advance a few ideas and topics about yourself that you'd be willing to share with someone new that you are talking with. This preparation will help you to feel more relaxed and will provide you a comfortable way to speak to new people you'd like to meet.

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.

Photo credit: Vinotecarium at Pixabay