DR. WALLACE: I'm 15 and a very responsible teenager. My girlfriends and I don't get into any trouble and we're all good students in school. My mother mentioned to me last weekend that she knew of a babysitting opportunity I might be able to take advantage of in our neighborhood. Next, I asked all of my girlfriends to see if any of them had done any babysitting yet. All four of the other girls told me that they had not had any opportunities to babysit.

So, I did go over to speak to the family down our street who's interested in having me potentially babysit their two little kids. Their kids are 4 and 6 years old and they both seem like nice kids. I talked with the parents and they seem nice also.

They told me they might need me for my first babysitting opportunity in two or three weeks and I told them that sounded great. Then, just as I was leaving, they told me to be sure I was certified before we started working together. I was too embarrassed to ask what "certified" meant so I simply said that I'd do that.

What does "certified" mean when it comes to babysitting? — A Babysitter-To-Be, via email

A BABYSITTER TO BE: That family is likely referring to certification offered by the Red Cross. This outstanding organization has many classes available for the public to attend, including ones for babysitters. Discuss this matter with your parents and have them arrange a time to help you attain this important certification.

Go to https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/babysitting/babysitting-child-care-preparation to learn more about your "new" profession. You might also wish to take a few other classes, such as CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation.)

I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO BREAK THE NEWS TO HIM

DR. WALLACE: I was dating a guy over the summer to pass the time, but now that I'm back on campus at my high school, I really want to date other people.

There's nothing wrong with him, it's just that he doesn't interest me much and I don't see any long-term future for the two of us. However, he's safe, nice and no problem at all to hang out with.

Since I already know how I feel about him when it comes to the long term, my plan is to start looking for new dating opportunities. When I find one I'm really interested in, I'll sit down and have a discussion with him to break up. Do you have any good suggestions about how to gently break up with someone? Are there any good lines I could use? — Ready to Move On, via email

READY TO MOVE ON: The first suggestion I have for you is to sit down and have a discussion with him immediately. Don't wait to break up with him until you find someone else as this is both unfair and disrespectful to him.

Imagine if you were in his shoes and things were reversed. I'm sure you would appreciate being told early that the relationship was over, rather than simply going through the motions until he found a new flame.

By breaking up with him now, you'll be able to honestly tell him that it's not because of any other person but that it's just that you want to have the freedom to date different people during this school year. Tell him that you'll always appreciate the time the two of you spent together over the summer.

My advice is to be friendly, honest and empathetic with him, rather than looking to deliver a slick line or two. You could even ask him at the end of your conversation if he would be interested in potential future dating referrals, since you know what a good guy he is and there may be someone you would like to introduce to him at some point in the future.

He may or may not take you up on this idea, but it does show that you value him and feel he's an excellent person, one you would gladly recommend in the future.

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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