DR. WALLACE: Even though we have all been through a pandemic recently, my parents insist on sending me to school even when I am legitimately sick.

I have the type of parents who have a strong work ethic and show up for their jobs every day, even when they're not feeling well themselves. I've tried telling them that, especially today, we should all take care not to spread even common colds to others. Do you agree with me, or are my parents right to push me to attend school every day no matter how I feel or if I'm contagious or not? — I Need My Rest, via email

I NEED MY REST: I agree that when an individual, no matter their age, is obviously physically sick, they should refrain from attending work, school or any other function where large groups of people gather.

This is prudent and logical — these days especially. The reason for this is not that you need more rest, but rather that others should not be exposed to an illness you may have that can be easily spread via close physical contact.

If you are sent to school on a day that you feel your symptoms are severe enough to be a danger to others, ask one of your teachers to send you the school nurse for an evaluation. This nurse can then make the decision about whether you should remain in your classes that day.

I ACCIDENTALLY SIGNED ON SOMEONE ELSE'S CREDIT CARD!

DR. WALLACE: I'm a college student. Last weekend, my best friend and I ate at a small restaurant near our campus. It was my turn to pay, so I gave our server or credit card and then when the bill came, I left a tip, signed my name and put the receipt in my pocket.

Three days later, I was doing some laundry and I pulled the receipt out of my pants pocket. I looked at it again and this time I noticed something looked funny. It turns out I was right, since the credit card number was someone else's!

This means I signed the bill and spent someone else's money, plus I even tipped money to our server on that card! I told my friend who ate that meal with me all about this and she said not to worry about it since restaurants make mistakes like this from time to time.

However, I'm the type of person who does things right, and I feel bad that I signed for someone else's card that day. I don't even know if I'll ever get charged anything for the meal, but the good news is that I did get my correct credit card back as I now have it safely in my wallet. What do you think about all of this? — I Signed For Someone Else's Card, via email

I SIGNED FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S CARD: I recommend you call your own credit card company or go online and look at your recent purchases to see if there was a charge made to your credit card at the restaurant on the day that you ate your meal with your friend.

It could be that you and the cardholder on your receipt were indeed charged for meals, but the two credit cards got mixed up, meaning you might've paid for their meal, and they might've paid for yours. That wouldn't be too bad if the dollar amounts were very close to equal, but there's no guarantee that they were if indeed this happened.

If your credit card never got charged at all, the restaurant should be able to reapply your charge correctly and invalidate the card charge that you signed for. In any case, visiting that restaurant in person, explaining to them what you know and giving them your credit card to charge correctly is the right thing to do and will put your mind at ease.

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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