DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 and really like a girl who happens to be my 16-year-old sister's best friend. I'd like to ask her out. I'm positive she would say yes because of the way she looks at me. I've also "heard it through the grapevine" that she wants to go out with me.

My problem is my sister. She does not want me dating this girl and she told me that if I do, she would "disown" me as a brother and that she would never talk to me ever again. If you knew my sister, you would understand that she means what she says. Help! — Brad, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

BRAD: I've changed my mind several times, but I've finally decided that you should not date this girl as long as your sister feels this way. You can just wait until this girl convinces your sister that she would really like to date her brother!

San Luis Obispo is a beautiful city filled with an abundance of eligible young ladies who would enjoy your company. Concentrate your efforts on them for the moment.

MY DAD STOPPED SEEING ME

DR. WALLACE: Recently, a girl wrote to you that her parents were divorced, but her dad comes to see her and take her out every Saturday morning. This girl said she was glad her dad loved her, but it took up too much of her free time to always spend four hours with him every weekend.

You suggested that they could plan to do meaningful things together at other times during the week instead of being locked into a 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. schedule. That's a good idea, but I think the girl is missing the fact that her father still loves her and wants to continue being a part of her life. I also wish that I had her problem.

My parents divorced when I was 13 and I'm now 17. My mom received custody of me and my dad used to visit me once every two weeks. I really loved my dad and I looked forward to seeing him. We would go out to eat, see a movie, and go shopping. We spent the whole day together and my dad would ask me about school and we talked about any problems I had, and I think he enjoyed it as much as I did.

Then my dad met this lady, and soon he started only seeing me once every so often, and finally, he didn't have any time for me at all. My dad and this lady are now married and have moved away. I haven't heard from him but a couple of times a year. On my last birthday, he didn't even send me a card. I guess he has forgotten me, and I don't expect him to be visiting me any time soon.

So I want to tell the girl who wrote that she should be happy that her dad takes the time to visit her. She should enjoy every minute with him because these are moments that can never be replaced. —Nameless, Toledo, Ohio.

NAMELESS: Thanks for sharing your story with our teen readers. I hope your father reads this and once again becomes a responsible parent. He was a father long before he met his present wife. But don't blame her for his lack of contacting you. This is 100 percent his responsibility as a parent!

MY MOM CHOOSES MY DATES

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and my mom chooses the guys I can go out with. If he is not on her list, then I'm not allowed to date him. She often insists that I date a guy I'm not interested in, so I think this is a terrible rule! She reads your column, so please set her straight! - Furious, Michigan City, Ind.

FURIOUS: Wise parents do not select dates for their daughters. However, they should meet the fellow their daughter is dating and stop the relationship immediately if they disapprove of the guy.

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.

Photo credit: Brendan Adkins