DR. WALLACE: I'll be in the 10th grade when our school will reopen after being closed due to COVID-19. We are now living in Florida because we had to move when our dad lost his job in Seattle because of the pandemic.

We are now living with Dad's mother, my grandmother. My problem is I want to move back to Seattle so I can go to the school I love and see all my friends. I can live with my aunt, my mom's sister, who said I could live with her and her husband since they have an extra room in their house. They don't have any children, but they have two nice dogs that are really fun and friendly.

My mom and her sister are pretty close, and there is a lot of love and trust between the two of them, so I know for sure that my mom would trust my aunt to take good care of me while I would be living in her home in the suburbs of the Seattle area.

One problem is that my aunt lives a bit too far from my old school for me to walk to school, so I would need to get my driver's license and a used car as soon as possible so that I could have regular and reliable transportation to my favorite high school. Not only that, but I would really look cool as a 16-year-old with his own car!

The huge problem I have now is that my dad says no when I tell him to let me move back to Seattle. I really want to move back to Seattle. I love my school, and I have so many very good friends there.

What can I do to convince my dad to give me permission to return home and live with my aunt in Seattle so I can go to school there? I need some good logic to spring on him so that he will let me go back to school out west with my existing friends. — Want School in Seattle, via email

WANT SCHOOL IN SEATTLE: I realize that moving to a different state does make leaving an existing school and good friends a difficult chore for most teens. Yet there are times in life whereby families must make a difficult move for financial reasons, as is the case with your family at this time.

From my point of view, at your age, it is proper for you to stay in Florida with your family at this time. Once the pandemic ends, you will enjoy your new school, and you will make many new friends. Yes, it will be tough at first, but each day, it will become a bit easier.

With today's social media, you can still keep in touch with your Seattle friends, and once you graduate high school and turn 18, you'll then have the option of moving back to Seattle if you so choose at that time. You could potentially attend college there with some of your high school friends from your old school. But you'll also have the option at age 18 to start working in Florida or attend college in Florida with your new friends.

Think of it this way: You'll have great friends on both coasts in our country, and you'll have the option to go and do what you feel is best for you when that time comes. In the meantime, do your best to immerse yourself in your new community, especially with other teens your age.

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.

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