DR. WALLACE: It is now summer, and I have had a great time without having any schoolwork, which means I have much more time to be hanging out with a lot of friends. It seems that now that I have gotten older, my friends and I are staying out later and later because there are things to do, and we have so much to talk about. We don't get into any trouble at all, so there is no reason why my curfew can't be extended a bit at this time of year.

My parents are very strict with my curfew, unfortunately, which makes enjoying these outings often difficult. If I get a ride with the group at the beginning of the evening, I have to then leave early and find my own way home in order to be on time to make my curfew. Literally all of my friends are allowed to stay out later than I am.

I believe asking for an hour extension to my curfew would be very fair, but I do not know how to address it with my parents without them immediately shutting it down. What should I do, or what can I try to do in my situation? — The first one to leave, via email

THE FIRST ONE TO LEAVE: Your letter does not address what your specific curfew hour is, but based upon the contents of your letter, I would agree that asking for an extra hour in the summertime seems reasonable. I agree with your premise because you've stated that you've not gotten into any trouble in the past and that literally all of your other friends have longer social hours in the summer during these outings.

However, your parents make their own rules, irrespective of what other parents allow their children to do. Therefore, you need to focus on keeping your parents happy, not complaining that "all the other kids get to stay out later."

Be sure that if you have morning routines or responsibilities that if you were to be allowed a later curfew that you wouldn't be then "sleeping in" and not following through on something you are supposed to do the next day. Also, offer to provide extra communication with your parents, such as a quick text at the specific time your previous curfew was, and confirming that you'll see them at home in an hour. Do explain to your parents that your transportation situation will be much smoother if you have an extra hour out when socializing this summer.

Finally, offer to do an extra chore or task around your family home or for your parents. This offer to "exchange," meaning that they give you an extra hour and you do something extra of value for your family, might demonstrate to your parents that you are not whining about your curfew but are in fact addressing it in a mature and reasonable way. Hopefully, you can negotiate an extension that everyone can feel comfortable with.

I WANT TO GO ON THIS DATE, BUT I'M BLOCKED!

DR. WALLACE: I just turned 17, and my parents have allowed me to date since I turned 16. I've dated a few boys here and there over the past year and most of them have been pretty nice even if we didn't end up dating too long. And since I'm a girl, my father is typically overprotective of me, and he has this rule that he has to meet my dates in person at our house first before he allows us to go on a date. Dad tells me that he wants to judge the guy's character and that it also makes him feel better if he meets the guy in person. He says this will let the guy know not to do anything untoward with me since the guy will know my father is keeping a close eye on me.

Well, this was never a problem until this summer. A boy from another high school near our area just asked me out. He's a big football star and he's going to be a senior this fall at his school, and I'll be a junior at mine. So I said yes to the date, but I told him about my father's rule.

This guy just laughed and said he wouldn't meet my dad since my dad will already know who he is; he's kind of famous in our area for football. This boy will likely get a big scholarship to play at a major college because he's a really good quarterback. What can I do? I want to go on the date, but I can't get the guy to come over to our house to meet my dad first. I'm now 17 and I feel my dad is blocking my dating life unnecessarily. — Date blocked by dad, via email

DATE BLOCKED BY DAD: I'd say the quarterback, not your father, is blocking your date. As a quarterback, he should know just how important his blockers are for his protection as a passer in his sport. Without good linemen to keep the defensive players off of his back, he would never succeed as a winning quarterback.

The same principle applies at your home. Your father is actually doing him a favor by being involved and requesting a meeting. The chances for longer-term harmony go up once even a brief early relationship is established between a dating interest and one's parents.

I side with your father on this one. It's his rule, and until you turn 18 (and perhaps also reside outside your family home), you'll be barred from dating any guy, no matter who he is, unless he comes to meet your father first.

Feel free to try my "blocking lineman" analogy with your quarterback friend to see if that might sway him to take the reasonable action to follow your father's rule, if he truly wants to date you.

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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