DR. WALLACE: My best friend is dating my brother's best friend. This guy tells my brother everything they do on a date and sometimes the action is, well, steamy. I know this because my brother can't wait to tell me all the details. I keep telling him to keep his big mouth shut, but he can't. I also tell him that his buddy is feeding him a line, but my brother says he knows for a fact that everything this guy says is true because his buddy has taped some of the conversation during the "hot" moments. My brother said he'd play the tape for me if I had any doubts.

Now I'm starting to have funny feelings when I'm with my best friend. What should I do? I care about my best friend very much. — Nameless, Chicago, Ill.

NAMELESS: Your brother is a loud mouth jerk. Don't listen to his blabber about your friend and, by all means, don't abandon your friend. It might be the right time to tell her that her boyfriend has a "loose tongue"!

I'M ON MOM'S SIDE

DR. WALLACE: My mother and father were born in Eastern Europe. Over there, women never shave their legs. When my parents immigrated to the United States, my mother followed the "old country" tradition and didn't shave her legs. To be honest, her legs look terrible. I know this isn't nice to say about my mother, but it's true. As soon as I saw the first tiny hair on my leg, I immediately shaved it off with my dad's shaving cream and safety razor.

My mother is still a young woman. She is only 39. I keep trying to get her to shave her legs, but she is stubborn and won't do it. All of my friends think my mother is super nice and a great cook, but they are very conscious of her hairy legs.

I know there's nothing you can do to entice her to shave her legs, but maybe if you print my letter she will finally realize that she is now an American woman and American women do not have hairy legs. Other than that, my mother is perfect! — Ellie, East Chicago, Ind.

ELLIE: I'm on your mom's side. There are traditions in this country more basic than shaved female legs! The right to lead life as you see fit is one of them. Maybe the majority of American women do shave their legs, but many, for various reasons do not.

This is not a serious matter. But the fact that you have a near perfect mom is. She wouldn't be nearly so wonderful if she were less herself. Most teens go through a phase where they're embarrassed by their parents in some way, so if it's any consolation, you are not alone. The best cure for this is to concentrate on all of your mother's good qualities and stop worrying about what doesn't really matter — the hair on her legs.

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.