DR. WALLACE: My best friend wore a T-shirt to school with sexual words printed on the front of it. She was sent to the office and was suspended from school for three days. I admit it was a bit out of the ordinary, but I think a 3-day suspension was overkill. My friend is our best player on the girls' basketball team, and her suspension will cause her to miss our next game against our most hated opponent.
I think the principal should have called her mom and asked to have an "appropriate" T-shirt brought to school so my friend could change and not miss any classes and not miss the basketball game. Another player and I spoke to the principal and asked if he would allow her to play even though she was on suspension. His reply was a very stern "No."
I think my friend was double-punished. She had to miss three days of schooling and had to miss a huge game. Be honest and give me your professional opinion. — Brittany, Oakland, Calif.
BRITTANY: Your friend's inappropriate attire was 100 percent unacceptable for school. If she chooses to have sexual expressions on her clothing, that is her right, but not at school or in a place of worship! It's hard for me to accept that her parents were aware of their daughter's stupidity.
I agree with the punishment and not being allowed to represent her school in an athletic contest. In reality, your friend was just seeking attention and that's what she received!
I FEEL 5 FEET 10 INCHES IS TALL ENOUGH
DR. WALLACE: I'm a 16-year-old girl and already I'm 5 feet, 10 inches tall. Do you think I will still grow taller? At what age do most teens stop growing? I really don't want to grow any more. I feel 5 feet, 10 inches is tall enough. Also, my 17-year-old boyfriend is 5 feet, nine inches tall and I don't want to "tower" over him.
Should I tell him to eat more spinach? — Cherie, Columbus, Ohio.
CHERIE: Most girls reach their maximum height sometime in their 17th year, while boys generally finish growing a year later, so it's possible you have a ways to go yet. However, there's no way to generalize. A person's height is determined by many factors: heredity, diet, gender, body type and even, to some degree, environment. Not all teens grow at the same rate. Some grow in spurts while others grow steadily, a little at a time. Some people quit growing when they're 16, and others keep growing into their 20's.
Spinach is a super food and your boyfriend should eat a lot of it, but it won't make him any taller.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PET AND FOOD IS IMPORTANT
DR. WALLACE: I disagree with your answer to Ginger, who was upset because her father was going to slaughter a rabbit that was purchased to be butchered. I realize that Ginger became attached to the bunny, but her father had purchased the young rabbit for food, not to be a pet. You said her father should not kill the rabbit. Would you have told her the same thing if the creature had been a cow, a pig, or a lamb?
I enjoy reading your column and I've never complained before, but the difference between a pet and food is important and I want you to give my letter serious thought. — Katy, Grand Island, Nebr.
KATY: I can only express my personal feelings about this, right or wrong. If my father had brought home a small "anything" with the intention of raising it for slaughter, and if I had become attached to it, I would have pleaded for its life and I would have found it impossible to eat it if my pleas had been ignored.
With this attitude, I'm fortunate that I didn't grow up on a farm.
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@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.
View Comments