DR. WALLACE: My 16-year-old cousin lives near me and we are very good friends. She doesn't know who her father is because her mother was unwed when my cousin was born. My cousin's mother (my father's sister) is 33 and considers herself to be an older "teen." She uses all the teen slang, listens to rap music and wears sexy outfits. Last night my cousin said that her mother has made an appointment for her to see her doctor so she could get a prescription for birth control pills just like her mother.

My cousin is rather shy and has told me that she really doesn't need birth control pills because she has not had sex and she doesn't plan to. Her mother wants her to get the pills because she doesn't want her to have the same problem that she had as a teenager.

I think her mother is out of line with this birth control thing. Don't you agree? —Nameless, Gary, Ind.

NAMELESS: Birth control pills are no substitute for parental guidance! The last thing a teenager needs is a "quasi-teen" parent more interested in being a teen than a mom. The only one in your cousin's family who needs birth control pills is the unwise mother.

IT'S THE COT FOR YOUR BROTHER

DR. WALLACE: Please settle this family dispute. We live in a two-bedroom house. My parents sleep in one and I sleep in the other. It used to be my brother's room before he went off to college, and I slept on a cot in the living room.

Now my brother is home from college on summer break and wants "his" room back, but I refuse to be pushed out. All of my personal stuff is in the room and I don't want to store it all over the house. I don't think he should come home and expect to act like he never left. I think it's perfectly proper for him to sleep on the cot for a couple of months. After all, I'm a full-time resident, not a part-timer like my brother. I have already done my time on the cot in the living room!

Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you that I'm a very mature young woman who is 16 years old. My mom encouraged me to get your opinion. — Nameless, San Diego, Calif.

NAMELESS: I agree 100 percent with your logic. The bedroom is now yours and should remain so 'year round, including while your brother is home from college. He should be a gentleman and sleep on the cot. It's his turn. You already had your turn!

I'M A TEACHER AGAIN

DR. WALLACE: I'm taking an evening mythology class at a local community college. One of the terms that came from mythology is "Achilles heel." We all know that "Achilles heel" refers to a person's weakness.

Is it possible that you could tell me why Achilles had a weak heel? — Shannon, Orange, Calif.

SHANNON: You could have found this information by visiting any library! But since you took the time to contact me I'll supply the answer. This will allow me to become a teacher again, if only for a few minutes.

Achilles was a powerful warrior in Greek mythology. When he was born, his mother dipped him in the River Styx to protect him from all harm. She held him by a heel so he wouldn't drown, and the river water was unable to touch this spot. Achilles thought he was invincible - but was killed during the Trojan War when an enemy arrow struck his only vulnerable spot — in the heel!

Now any unprotected area of a person's body can be called one's "Achilles heel."

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.