DR. WALLACE: I understand that my best friend is finally lined up to go out on her first date in about two weeks. We are both four months past our 16th birthdays, but I've already been on five dates with different guys, and this will be her first.

We get along great, and I always seek to support her and back her up on any issue or situation that arises. This is where I've run into a problem. I just found out the name of the guy she'll be dating, and I happen to have personal knowledge that not only is he a very unsavory guy, but he's done some really illegal things that would absolutely keep most girls I know from ever going out with him if they were aware of them.

I also feel that if I tell her, which I truly feel is my responsibility, there's a chance she may think I'm trying to sabotage her first dating opportunity. Would it be best to tell her or just say nothing and let her sort things out herself on her own? — Concerned to Tell Her, Worried Not to, via email

CONCERNED TO TELL HER, WORRIED NOT TO: You said it yourself: It's your obligation to tell her. You apparently have firsthand knowledge, and you stated that almost all girls would not go out with him if they knew this information, so I feel you owe it to her as her friend to share this information with her.

Apologize to her before you tell her what you know, but explain that if the roles were reversed, you would absolutely want to know about it, and the details would cause you to step back immediately.

Let her know right away that you have indeed wrestled with this issue because she's waited for her first date for a while, but in the end, you knew she needed to be notified. Tell her that as her friend you did not want the memory (or experience!) of her first date ever to become tainted once she later discovered this information came to light anyhow.

This way, you can answer any and all questions she may have well in advance. Then it's up to her to make her own decision.

MY ADULT CHILDREN STILL CHANNEL THEIR TRICK-OR-TREAT DAYS

DR. WALLACE: My son and daughter were the two kids in our neighborhood who enjoyed dressing up for Halloween the most out of any two children I'd ever seen in our neighborhood as a young parent back then.

They would devise, craft, design and actually make their own costumes every year, and they would dazzle their friends and all of the parents in our circle of acquaintances.

Fast forward to where they are both young adults now, attending the same college nearby. He's a sophomore there, and she's a freshman, and both are over 18.

They recently came home for a family dinner on a Sunday evening, and I heard them talking about if their respective costumes were ready yet. I asked them about this, and it turns out they are attending two "dress-up" conferences in Southern California this year. One is in Anaheim in March, and the other one in San Diego in July.

My oldest is still 19, so I've just learned that my two teenage college students are still getting dressed up and making homemade costumes like they are still 7 years old. What is up with this? Do you think it's healthy for young adults to spend their time on such childish things at their advanced ages? — One Flabbergasted Mother, via email

ONE FLABBERGASTED MOTHER: I feel you're both overreacting and a bit out of touch! Take some time to look up these conferences and study the pictures and intricate costumes that have been worn by attendees in past years. Some of them truly rise to the level of art.

Your children have had this talent and desire ingrained in them for a long time now, and I feel it's great that they can participate in a setting such as these conferences to enjoy some fun. You'll also notice that many of the costumed attendees are way, way past 19 years old, so my answer would be a solid "no" in terms of whether or not they are too old to dress up in costumes as young college students.

Keep in mind there are a lot of other activities that your offspring could be participating in that would warrant your concern, but dressing up and simply attending these conferences for fun is decidedly not one of them.

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: Lon Christensen at Unsplash