DR. WALLACE: I've been dating my current boyfriend for about six months now, and things have been pretty great. We get along really well, and I feel as though I can be my true, authentic self around him and tell him anything. I definitely see us having a future together and possibly getting married one day, but one thing that worries me is that we're very different people with very different interests.

My boyfriend absolutely loves sports, for example, and watches football games religiously, but I don't care for football at all and have always been more of an artsy person than an athlete. I love reading, and I majored in creative writing in college, but my boyfriend recently told me he couldn't remember the last time he read a book. It's usually easy for us to find things to do together that we enjoy, like trying new restaurants or spending time at the beach, but sometimes we'll spend days apart pursuing our own interests. When we first started dating, I originally envisioned us doing everything together, but now I'm beginning to realize that might not be realistic.

I've read online that differences in relationships can be healthy, and for the most part, I feel like that has been the case in our relationship. Even though I often find myself wishing that we could bond over shared interests, I love my boyfriend for the person he is and wouldn't want to try to change him. Is it possible for us to have a strong, long-lasting relationship despite the fact that we are total opposites in some ways? — A Hopeful Romantic, via email

A HOPEFUL ROMANTIC: I think it is perfectly fine that you and your boyfriend have different interests, as long as both of you choose to respect these differences. You don't have to care for sports, for example, but you should encourage your boyfriend to engage in the hobbies and pastimes that he enjoys, just as your boyfriend should encourage you to read and write even if he doesn't wish to participate in these activities himself. Of course, it is important for the two of you to carve out quality time to spend together, but accepting that every day of the week does not need to be spent side-by-side is healthy.

Couples typically enter into dangerous territory when they begin to mock each other's interests out of frustration, and so I would encourage the two of you to avoid doing this at all costs. If one of you begins to feel jealous about the time that the other is spending on their hobbies, have an honest conversation about it and find ways to achieve greater balance between time spent together and time spent apart. Overall, however, as long as you or your boyfriend's interests are not inappropriate or unhealthy in some way, there's no reason to create conflict over such minor differences. What matters most is that the two of you share the same values in life, and as long as that is the case, I would consider your relationship to be in good shape.

MY CLOSE SECRET IS NOW OUT!

DR. WALLACE: I'm 14 and I like a certain boy at my school. I made the mistake of telling one of my friends that I like this particular boy. I didn't tell anyone else but her that I had a secret crush on this boy.

Well, after lunch ended yesterday, this boy walked right up to me, looked me in the eyes and said, "I heard that you like me; maybe we could eat lunch together someday." I was so shocked that I just mumbled the word, "maybe" and quickly walked away.

Now I'm really mad at my best friend because I know for sure she either told this boy directly about my crush on him, or she told another of our friends, one who ultimately let my secret get out to a wide group of people. Anyhow, somebody let this boy know that I have a crush on him. Now I'm so embarrassed that I wish I could transfer to another school. Is there anything I can do about this now that it has already happened? — Horribly Embarrassed, via email

HORRIBLY EMBARRASSED: Yes, your friend indeed told someone about your secret. The first lesson you can learn is to be very cautious with personal secrets that you hold close. Even a best friend can have loose lips and allow information out that you would never wish to become public.

Having said that, what's done is done here. But there is a silver lining to this situation, and that's not bad for you. This boy did have the confidence to come right up to you and ask you directly to eat lunch together sometime. You now have the option of accepting his offer, and if you do, keep everything you and this boy discuss private!

You can approach him at school one day and say that his initial offer caught you off guard, but now that you've had time to think about it, you'd like to accept his lunch offer. Remember, it's only lunch and you have no other commitments either way from there. If the two of you get along well, you can gradually socialize more, and if for any reason you don't wish to follow up with more time with this boy again, you can gracefully decline.

Even though your girlfriend was not loyal to you, her actions might end up helping you going forward. If they do, I suggest you don't give her any credit for it!

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: StockSnap at Pixabay