DR. WALLACE: I'm a 16-year-old girl and a regular reader of your column. It seems that a lot of your teen readers have problems with their parents, and you help them deal with these problems. Personally, I do not have such problems with my parents and for this I am very grateful. That's my motivation for writing to you - to praise my parents - not to complain about them.

I love and appreciate both of my parents with all of my heart. To me, they are the perfect parents. My father is a kindly man and an excellent provider for our family of six. My mother is a great homemaker and both of my parents constantly share their love with us kids. They have given us certain rules and regulations, but the entire family sat down and discussed them so that our opinions were considered, too.

Our parents expect good grades, but do not put undue pressure on us. We are all allowed to choose our own friends, and our friends are welcomed into our home regardless of their background.

We have our spats as a family, but they are quickly discussed and problems are solved, and then quickly forgotten. I want to express my love for my parents and I hope someday to repay them for being such wonderful parents. — Nameless, Goshen, Ind.

NAMELESS: Great parents all have two things in common — wisdom and the ability to make their children know they are loved.

WHAT WAS THE MISTAKE?

DR. WALLACE: I was going steady with a girl and we both stated that we loved each other very much.

Then one day out of the blue she told me that she was unhappy with something I did and that she didn't want to see me again. I admitted that I was wrong and that it would never happen again. I begged her to return to me, but she refused.

I told her that if she really loved me she would forgive me for making one little mistake. Don't you agree with me? — Ken, Downey, Calif.

KEN: It all depends on what that "little mistake" was.

ARE SCHOOLS GOING TO BAN SEX ED?

DR. WALLACE: Is it true that they are going to ban sex education from the classroom? If this is true, when will kids get the necessary facts? Most parents wait until it's too late or they are too embarrassed themselves to do the job correctly. — Madison, Seattle, Wash.

MADISON: Each school district, regardless of the state or province, makes its own curriculum. This is usually done by school personnel and approved by the local school board of education.

THIS GUY IS NOT WISE

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and in love with a guy that I've been dating for over three months. He had asked me to go steady after the first three weeks and I was thrilled. After a month he told me that he wanted to quit going steady because he needed more space, but we could still date. We've gone out several times since breaking up and we had fun together, but last night he called and said that he was going steady with another girl and that he told her about us and she said that I could still go out with him, but only once a week.

My mom thinks this is pretty silly and she told me that I should not go out with him if he is going steady with another girl - regardless of the conditions. What do you think about this situation? — Nameless, Rock Island, Ill.

NAMELESS: This guy is not too wise. If he wasn't going steady he could still be dating you both, but now that he is going steady with another girl, he has given up his privilege to go out with you.

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.

Photo credit: