DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend of two years and I are getting married in four weeks. We have planned a small church wedding, inviting only relatives and a few close friends.

We are getting married in my church. My guy has chosen to change his religion to mine because he doesn't want our children to be confused about their religion, and he wants us to be unified on this issue. His family, however, is very troubled that he is marrying outside his race, and they are devastated that he is adopting the Christian religion. His sister called me to say that no one in his family will be attending the wedding, so I should not mail any invitations. This hurt him a lot, but he said he still loves me more than anyone in his family, so the wedding is still a go from his perspective.

Should I send invitations to his family, or should I take his sister's advice and not send out any invitations? I don't want to upset anyone further. I feel so sad that everyone is upset. — Sad Bride, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

SAD BRIDE: By all means, send out the wedding invitations to each of your fiance's family members. His sister may not be the spokesperson for the whole family. But even if his entire family decides not to attend the wedding, reaching out to them with love and an open mind might open the door to eventual reconciliation. Rather than cutting yourselves off from his family, you should work on winning them over, one by one if necessary, overtime.

IMMEDIATELY STOP DATING HIM

DR. WALLACE: I need your help and fast! I'm 17, and so is my so-called boyfriend. He and I do practically everything together — go to parties, cruise around and attend rock concerts. He doesn't have a car, so I always drive when we go out together.

My problem is that he sometimes tries to scare me, or scare people walking along the road, when I'm driving. He even opens the car door when I'm going 40 mph and grabs the wheel and whips it around. He scares me — and the people on the side of the road— to death.

His mom told me that he is always fighting with her and her live-in boyfriend. She says he's an uncontrollable teenager and she threatens to send him away to a detention home.

My question is how can I keep the guy under control when I'm driving? We have had several near misses already, but he always says that it's no big deal. I know it is a big deal, and it worries me that we won't always be so lucky. He is my first boyfriend, and if I can't use my family's car, he doesn't even want to see me. What can I do about this? — Concerned Girlfriend, Edmond, Oklahoma

CONCERNED: This guy is one of the poorest excuses for a boyfriend I have ever heard. What you can do is get rid of him! Believe me, you can do much better. Don't sell yourself so short, and do not, I repeat, DO NOT allow him to ride in your car again. He's a manslaughter charge waiting to happen, and you're the one who would have to stand trial. Wish him luck when you leave him, but make sure that he knows that you will not be dating him again.

So often I hear from young people of each gender who are dating a person that is obviously wrong for them, but they fear leaving the relationship over the worry that they will not find another person to date. This is one of the worst mistakes a young person can make. Once you realize that you're dating someone incompatible with your beliefs, morals or lifestyle, leave that person — on as good of terms as possible — immediately. Fold the hand. Any good poker player would tell you that it is wise to exit a losing hand as early as possible. New people are always out there, and for those who are patient enough to find the right match, a king or queen of hearts awaits!

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.