DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 and in the 12th grade. I'm a solid B student and will be going to a community college when I finish high school. I have an opportunity to work three hours after school two afternoons a week on Thursday and Friday. I'm an excellent typist and I would be working for my boyfriend's father who is an attorney. I'd be typing his legal correspondence.

My parents are not sure that working part-time while still in high school is a good idea. I think it would be a great experience and I could use the extra money. My dad asked me to write to you for your thoughts on this and then we will make a family decision after you give your decision. — Kayla, Phoenix, Ariz.

KAYLA: I'm in favor of teens working part-time while in high school as long as academics will not suffer. At the first sign of slipping grades, the job should end.

Elizabeth Lewin, director of Budget Advisory Service in Westport, Connecticut, points out that earning money by working part-time is a valuable opportunity to earn and learn. For teens 16 and over, Ms. Lewin strongly recommends taking on a regular part-time job. Not only is this gaining valuable experience in the "working world," it is the best possible crash course in money management.

LEARN TO COUNT CALORIES

DR. WALLACE: I'm 15 and have a problem with my weight. I should weigh 120 pounds. I weighed 115 when I was 13, but in the past two years my weight has ballooned to a whopping 160 pounds. I used to be a healthy young lady and ate good foods.

Then my life hit many snags. First, my parents got a divorce. My dad is an attorney and he left my mom to live with his secretary. Next, my mom was in an automobile accident and was bedridden for three months. During that time, I had to be a "mother" to my younger sister. Finally, my pet dog ran away and he never returned home. He has been missing for over seven months.

It appears that I used food, all kinds of food, to suppress my misery. Now the time has come for me to get rid of my flab. A girlfriend told me that if I skipped breakfast and stopped eating potato chips and French fries that I would lose about three pounds a week. That really sounds like a good deal. In about 15 weeks I would be the "new" me.

Do you approve of this way to get rid of my extra weight? I'm tired of looking like a blimp. — Nameless, New Orleans, La.

NAMELESS: Skipping breakfast is not recommended as a way to lose weight, but eliminating potato chips and fries is a good start. Three balanced meals per day and low-calorie snacks will get you back to normal, but not in 15 weeks. It took about 100 weeks to add those extra 45 pounds and it should take about a year (one pound per week) to safely take them off.

Learn to count your calories! Your limit should be 2000 calories daily. Reasonable regular exercise would help. Contact me four weeks after you change your eating pattern and give me the good news.

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: Alan Levine