DR. WALLACE: I'm 15, and my mom recently allowed her boyfriend of one year to move into our house. After my parents divorced, the idea of my mom dating around again kind of gave me a really creepy feeling, but I actually really like her current boyfriend and can tell that they might really have a future together.

When my mom asked me how I would feel about her boyfriend moving in with us, I told her that I actually wouldn't mind and thought it would be a good idea since they were unable to see each other very often because he lived over an hour away. Now I realize, however, that I made a big mistake! I had no idea how "touchy feely" my mom and her boyfriend act together! They're constantly kissing each other in front of me and are even touching each other all the time.

I know that my mom's boyfriend respects her, and it seems like my mom enjoys all of the physical attention she's getting from him, but it personally disgusts me and makes me really uncomfortable. The worst part is that my bedroom is right next to theirs and some nights I can hear more than I'd like to. It's becoming very disturbing for me, but I don't know how to bring this up with my mom and I don't want to get in the way of her happiness. What do you recommend? I feel as though I should move to a friend's house. — An awkward situation, via email

AN AWKWARD SITUATION: It may seem counterintuitive, but sit down with your mother when he is not around and tell her exactly what you've told me. Start with the positives, such as you want to see her happy and that you do feel they might have a future together. But once you cover those topics, do tactfully tell her about the things that make you so uncomfortable.

Your mother may be so caught up in her current romance that she's not noticing how it is impacting you. Any good parent usually defaults to protecting and looking out for their children, so put her in the position of informing her how her situation, and the way she's handling it, is impacting you. Keep your tone of voice nice and earnest but also slightly urgent. I trust Mom will get the message and then dial things down a bit to accommodate family harmony.

You might feel that this topic is too awkward to bring up to her, but I strongly feel it is not. You must speak up or things will continue along as is, and you'll develop a gradual feeling of animosity toward one or both of them. You certainly don't deserve to have that happen, so be brave and speak to mom from your heart as soon as you can.

THE GUN STUNNED ME

DR. WALLACE: A few weeks ago, my friend drove me and a few other people home after a late school event. We were listening to music and having a good time until one of the people in the car opened the glove compartment, and there was a gun in there! There were five of us teenagers in the car at the time, and although the girls were very scared, some of the boys wanted to look at it and handle it. They all thought it was cool.

At first, we all thought it was fake, but after a little more context, we all realized this was her dad's real gun. We were all extremely uncomfortable and did not know what to do. Everything ended up being fine because she stopped the car and put the gun in the trunk and locked it, but now I feel like something needs to be said to her or her parents so this does not end up being something worse in the future. It seems super unsafe for her to be driving many teenagers around with an unlocked gun in the car. What should I do and who should I tell about this? — What to do now, via email

WHAT TO DO NOW: Inform every adult you can about this, starting with your parents, and let them know exactly what occurred. Your letter did not mention what type of gun it was or if it was loaded or not. It is the height of irresponsibility for a gun to be left unattended in an unlocked glove compartment with no adult present.

Furthermore, to allow teens to use that vehicle with the gun inside should never, ever happen. Your parents can make immediate contact with the gun owner and rightfully voice their concerns. Hopefully, this matter can be handled properly such that no firearms are ever left unattended in that vehicle again. You are all fortunate that nothing further occurred, but your friend should have driven the car directly home after locking the gun in the trunk. One of her parents should have taken it before she continued driving on your outing.

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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