DR. WALLACE: I'm a guy who is 18 and I'm dating a wonderful, beautiful girl at my high school. We're both seniors and she will turn 18 in about 6 months, so we're close in age.

I've been dating since I was 15, and over the years I've dated a few dozen girls, some only for a date or two, but in other instances I dated some of the girls anywhere from a few months up to seven months, which was the longest relationship I've been in so far.

I really like this girl, and even though we've only been dating for three months now, I feel something different when I spend time with her compared to any other girl before.

She's smart, pretty and very personable. She's quite popular at our school and everyone seems to like her since she has such an easygoing, friendly personality.

There's only one major problem I see with her, and it's that she is nearly always late for everything that we schedule to do together. She's always quite kind about it, she apologizes, and she even at times explains why she was late. It's not that I don't believe her reasons (or should I say excuses?), but this one issue is truly starting to wear me out.

I come from a family with a military background, as both my father and my uncle have served our country for decades with military assignments in several cities around our nation. Because of that background, a lot of it has likely rubbed off on me, because I'm very punctual regarding everything that I do.

I realize I'm not a perfect person either, but this one flaw that my girlfriend has truly worries me. I'm starting to think about making longer-term plans with her. Do you think that there is any hope for a satisfying future with her? — On-Time Guy, via email

ON-TIME GUY: I'll give you credit for planning ahead and thinking about both your future and a possible future that includes this girl. However, since you've only been dating three months at this point, I wouldn't focus right now on long-term plans with her. It might be better to stay in the moment, so to speak, and plan things only a week or two in advance both in terms of your schedule and in terms of the mentality you bring to this relationship.

Because the two of you have only been dating for a short period, I feel it's OK to bring this issue up to her and explain your personal and family background when it comes to punctuality. And in doing so, ask her to do her best to make at least some improvements in this area, then offer to do the same for her. By this I mean ask her if there's an issue that she feels you could improve upon, whether it be a personal trait, a particular action or a habit you have. Tell her to feel free to provide you constructive criticism and let her know you won't take it personally, but that you'd look forward to working on your issue just as you hope she might on hers.

This early in a relationship, I feel both parties typically have more leeway and flexibility to talk openly to each other. Once relationship partners get entrenched after a year or two or even longer, it can become much harder to point out any areas you may wish to request changes in. Use this time in your relationship to be very open and direct and commit to being as helpful as you can. Also let her know that you truly care a great deal for her already, so you don't want this one issue to fester and come between the two of you.

This may or may not change the nature of her timeliness (or lack thereof), but it will bring the issue out in the open and it will give each of you an opportunity to show the other how much this relationship means.

SHE DIDN'T WANT ANY PROTECTION THIS TIME OF YEAR

DR. WALLACE: It's already turned a bit cold in our part of the country up north. My girlfriend and I still enjoy the outdoors a lot and we still take long challenging hikes up mountains, rivers, canyons and just about anywhere we feel is both a physical challenge and an opportunity to see some new, interesting sights.

In the late spring and summertime, every time I offered my girlfriend some sunscreen lotion at the beginning of a long hike, she always took it and applied it just like I always do.

Since I sunburn easily, I also use sunscreen in the fall and even the winter. As a young kid I noticed that I could get sunburned even in cold or cloudy weather. So, last weekend, even though it was already quite cool, I broke out the sunscreen ahead of our hike and I applied it the way I always do. When I offered it to her, this time she just waved me off and said she didn't need it now that the weather has cooled off. Is this true? Do only some people have the propensity for sunburns in cooler weather, like me? — Sun Vulnerable, via email

SUN VULNERABLE: While there are certainly differences between individuals in terms of how fast they may suffer sunburn or skin damage, it is absolutely possible for anyone to become sunburned when exposed to direct and/or in direct sunlight for many hours at a time, especially at high altitudes!

Your girlfriend may not notice any sun damage for quite some period of time, but any actual damage could be masked and not show up for several years. My recommendation would be to encourage her to at least apply a thin layer of sunscreen anytime of the year when you plan to be outdoors for multiple hours, especially in mountain environments.

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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