DR. WALLACE: We just discovered that our 19-year-old son is gay. We learned this by accident when we came home early from church because my husband was ill, and found our son and another young man together. My husband almost blew his mind. I was shocked, but tried to remain cool.

The following day our son left home and moved in with this other young man. That was five weeks ago and in that time we have not heard from him at all.

My husband and I have been doing a lot of thinking and talking about our son. We are not happy with his lifestyle, but we love him dearly and we are willing to accept him for who he is.

I understand there is an organization for parents of gay and lesbian children. Will you please give us the name and how we can contact them? My husband and I have a lot to learn and understand. — Parents, Springfield, Mass.

PARENTS: The organization is called Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. This organization was started by parents of gay and lesbian children looking for support for each other. The national office address is PFLAG, 1726 M St. NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20036. The website is www.pflag.org.

There are more than 800 PFLAG groups in the United States. I encourage you to contact them. I applaud your willingness to renew ties with your son and to accept him for who he is.

SHAME ON YOU

DR. WALLACE: I'm 18 and borrowed my mother's credit card to purchase clothes for summer. Mom gave me a $150 limit, but as you are aware, $150 doesn't go too far when buying clothes for an 18-year-old girl. I wound up spending $375 and this made my mother angry. Since I'm still a minor, is my mother legally responsible for these charges? I don't think so! — Nameless, Toledo, Ohio.

NAMELESS: Morally, ethically and legally, your mother is responsible for the charges you placed on her credit card. Shame on you for trying to shirk your responsibility to pay for something you purchased on credit!

TEEN BOYS WATCH TV MORE THAN TEEN GIRLS

DR. WALLACE: Please settle this family feud! Who watches television more, teen boys or girls? I'm female and I know that my two brothers watch the boob tube much more than I do. They disagree. Your answer is important. — Laurie, Omaha, Nebr.

LAURIE: Nielsen Media Research reports that women over the age of 55 spend the most time watching television, averaging a bit over 6 1/3 hours per day, followed by men the same age who spend 5 1/2 hours watching their favorite programs.

Who watches the least amount of television? Would you believe it is teenage girls? They average three hours of television viewing daily, while teenage guys log 3 1/2 hours.

The reason boys watch more television than girls? — Sports!

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.