DR. WALLACE: My older brother does pretty well at most things in life, but whenever he fails or comes up short somehow, he blames someone or something else.

He has of course used the weather, faulty automobiles, irresponsible friends and lousy teachers to excuse many things over the years. Since he's 17 and I'm 13, I usually have just rolled my eyes and stayed quiet when I've heard his conversations with our parents about something he or they are upset about. This has gone on for years, and I've stayed out of it.

But lately he's been having trouble in school, and he had to take summer school this year to repeat a class he failed during the last school year. And guess what? He's blaming me for this! He told my parents that I'm always going into his room to talk sports with him or that I always interrupt him when he's trying to study.

This is not true! Yes, once or twice I asked him a sports question or two, but each time he was getting dressed to go out with his friends. I remember him combing his hair and picking out what shoes and shirt he wanted to wear while we were "talking sports."

Should I just let this go, or should I tell my parents that I have never interrupted his studies? I didn't really care before about his nonsense, but now it's impacting me. — A Younger Brother Falsely Accused, via email

A YOUNGER BROTHER FALSELY ACCUSED: I would not make a big deal about telling your parents in the sense of making a dramatic plea of innocence and pleading with them to believe you over him.

Instead, at a quiet time when he is not around, simply sidle up to your parents and say, "I know you already likely know this, but for the record I have never once interrupted my brother's studies or distracted him in any way with sports discussions. They were held only a few times and he absolutely was not studying at the time."

And then let it go. Your parents are sure to know that he's an "excuse machine," and mentioning your name being drawn into his nonsense in a low-key and casual way is sure to be received with a minimum of blowback to you.

WHERE CAN WE TAKE GRANDPA IN SOCAL?

DR. WALLACE: Our family is traveling from the Midwest for a family vacation next month in Southern California. Of course we teenagers are looking forward to visiting Disneyland and Universal Studios, but this summer our grandfather is going with us, and he's not excited much with just visiting a series of theme parks.

Can you think of anything that our grandpa would enjoy more than just tagging along with us to see these parks plus the Hollywood sign? — Midwest Teenagers, via email

MIDWEST TEENAGERS: How about visiting the Battleship USS Iowa Museum? It's a maritime museum located at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, very near to Los Angeles. The museum's main artifact is the USS Iowa, lead ship of the Iowa class of battleships.

Battleship USS Iowa served our country proudly in World War Two and in the Korean War, as well as the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

Today, the historic U.S. Navy ship is an iconic Los Angeles landmark and considered one of that area's best outdoor museums for families and visitors of all ages.

This museum has self-guided tours as well as a behind-the-scenes guided tour to explore areas off-limits to the public where your grandfather could hear firsthand accounts of service, commitment and bravery. Your grandpa will likely enjoy this opportunity if you can make it happen for him!

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: Nikolai Artamonov at Unsplash