DR. WALLACE: I'm a single mother of a 2-year-old daughter. I have a pretty fair job and can support my daughter and me without outside assistance. We don't have any money left over at the end of the month, but we also don't have to borrow any either. Because of our tight budget, my social engagements are very limited. Last week my employer was having a farewell party for an employee who was retiring. It was expected that all employees would attend. The dinner and entertainment were free.

I decided to go and called a neighbor's daughter to babysit my daughter. I was gone from 6:30 to 10 p.m. When I got home I gave the baby sitter $3.50 and told her that I would drive her home. She said that her mother would pick her up and that I owed her an additional $5.25 because she charged $2.50 an hour to babysit. I was shocked and upset, but I reluctantly paid her fee. I am still in shock. When I baby-sat 10 years ago I got one dollar an hour. Don't tell me that inflation has risen that much in such a short time. Needless to say, I won't be going out for quite a long time, but when I do I'll check out the babysitting fee before I hire a sitter. What do you think is a fair fee? — Mother, Tucson, Ariz.

MOTHER: The fee depends on many conditions: the number of children, the length of the job (additional fees for past midnight sitting), the responsibilities of the sitter (feed, bathe, put children to bed) and the location of the job (some areas of the country have different pay scales.

The average sitter today receives between $2 and $5 per hour depending on these conditions. Remember, your child is your most important possession and a competent babysitter is a must. Many of today's teens who babysit have taken classes in babysitting that include instruction in child accident prevention, discipline, and life-saving techniques, including the Heimlich maneuver and CPR. They also know what to do in case of fire or other disasters including what to do when a stranger knocks on the door!

Insist that your sitter have this training and whatever the cost, consider that you and your daughter are getting a bargain.

BACKSEAT PASSENGERS NEED SEATBELTS

DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend owns a super clean 1954 Ford. It is his pride and joy. For safety purposes, he had seatbelts put in the two front seats, but he didn't put belts in the rear seats because he said it would spoil the looks and the value of his car. Besides, he says that people who ride in the back seats are much safer. Is this true? — Erin, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

ERIN: It is extremely important that all vehicle passengers wear seatbelts. Last holiday season, for instance, I was in San Diego and was sad to read in the newspaper a story about an 18-year-old girl who was killed in an accident on the San Diego Freeway. She was riding in the back seat and was not properly buckled in. The driver and a front-seat passenger, who were wearing seatbelts, both survived.

A California Highway Patrol officer said that while most people in the front seat generally buckle up, back-seat passengers are far less likely to do so because they don't believe it's necessary. They could not be more mistaken!

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.