DR WALLACE: I'll be 17 in a few months, and I'm really bored with school and my life overall.

A friend of mine told me the smartest thing I can do is to get pregnant, get married and start a family as soon as possible. Not only will this provide me with an avenue to get out of going to school full-time, but it will leave me young enough to have lots of energy for my children. I'd like to have a family of three or four kids and be able to go hiking with them, play sports and do many fun activities.

What's the use and waiting till I'm 30 years old to start a family? — Tired of Being Bored, via email

TIRED OF BEING BORED: Using a bout of boredom to concoct a plan to stop going to high school does not sound wise at all to me.

On top of that, seeking to start a family immediately at your age also represents many risks and huge challenges.

No, you don't necessarily have to wait until you're 30 years old to start a family, but you'll be far better served for the rest of your life if you at least successfully complete high school first.

You may, indeed, end up being a lifetime homemaker, but the odds say it's far more likely that you'll enter the workforce at some point in your adult life. At least having that high school diploma gives you a foundation to work from and presents you with additional options.

ARE PODCASTS REAL OR FAKE?

DR. WALLACE: I'm 13 years old, and some friends and I recently started listening to podcasts. We like to listen to podcasts about a whole lot of different subjects. One of my friends told me that all podcasts are completely real, but my other friend told me that podcasts are entirely fake.

What's the truth about podcasts, and why are they so popular? — Want To Learn About Podcasts, via email.

WANT TO LEARN ABOUT PODCASTS: Podcasts are quite popular because they're easy and convenient to access.

With a computer or a smartphone and headphones, anyone can access a myriad of podcasts about almost any subject under the sun!

Many podcasts aim to be factual, but like anything else, some are opinionated or share information that may or may not have been accurately verified.

This means that like anything else in life, judgment and research is needed to verify claims, stories or information in podcasts.

There are also podcasts that are intended for entertainment purposes. Some tell stories, and some are humorous or comedic in nature.

For someone your age, I think podcasts can be quite valuable, especially if you would like to research new topics. For example, think about a field that you may envision yourself having a career in. You can listen to a few podcasts about that subject to evaluate if you feel that type of work would be interesting.

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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