DR. WALLACE: I met a new friend this summer, and for two weeks, things were great between us. But yesterday, she accused me of flirting with her boyfriend behind her back. I immediately told her that she had the wrong information because I didn't do any such thing. However, she persisted with the accusations.

I didn't see her for a few days, and of course, she didn't call or text me. On the third day, I was hanging out with some other friends, and she happened to walk by. Once she saw me, she walked right up to me. She seemed to be in a good mood, and she told me that she was sorry because she had information that a girl with my same first name was flirting with her boyfriend, but that it was another girl, not me.

I was pretty stunned, so I didn't say much, and one of the other girls I was with talked to her briefly before she left. What do I do now? On the one hand, we had a developing friendship, but on the other hand, her baseless accusation and the fact she felt so correct about it have put me off. - I Was Falsely Accused, via email

I WAS FALSELY ACCUSED: Nobody's perfect, and that includes you and me. Your friend made a mistake, and a pretty bad one, but I feel it's better to forgive on the first offense, especially for something as relatively minor as the situation you've described.

However, having said that, she's now used up her one and only "freebee" in this regard. You may want to tell her you'll forgive her this one time, but that she needs to judge your character more carefully in the future. Also, keep a close eye on her going forward to see if she just simply got emotional over her boyfriend, or if this might be part of a pattern that is part of her overall personality.

In the end, only you can decide if you'd like to spend time with her any further going forward, but from my viewpoint, I feel it's worth a try to give her one more shot at earning back your trust — but not two — if anything similar occurs in the future.

MY FATHER WANTS ME TO PAY FOR IT!

DR. WALLACE: Our high school discontinued its driver's education program a few years ago, but I am of the age now that I can apply for a driver's license and, of course, am in need of lessons.

My mother rarely drives and would not be a good instructor, and my father tells me he's way too busy to teach me to drive. He has encouraged me to consider a driver's education program from a commercial company, "when I can afford it." Meaning, he expects me to pay for it myself!

Do you think that's fair? I only rarely do a few part-time jobs here and there and my allowance is pretty thin, especially after I spend a little money hanging out with my friends, eating food every weekend.

Why do you think my father is being so tough on me regarding my ability to sign up for driver's education? — I Need My Independence, via email

I NEED MY INDEPENDENCE: My guess is that your father is not interested in having you immediately sign up for driver's education right after you become the requisite age to do so. He's likely hoping you'll hold off for a while and maybe consider it in 6 or 12 months from now.

You likely have a couple of choices here. On the one hand, you could have an open discussion with your parents, particularly your father, about how you want to learn how to drive correctly and become a responsible driver. In this scenario, maybe you could ask him if he's receptive enough to "front" you the money for the driver's course if you promise to pay him back gradually.

Gaining his cooperation is going to be important because my guess is you're going to want to borrow the family car at some point once you achieve being granted a driver's license. The second option would be to do it entirely on your own, but keep in mind that even if you raise the money yourself and complete the course successfully, you'll still need access to a working vehicle and automobile insurance. That brings you back directly to your parents and their approval.

Think about the best way to have an open and earnest discussion with your parents about this issue, and perhaps some compromise can be achieved.

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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