DR. WALLACE: My parents are divorced, so I alternate one week with my mother and then the next week with my father and his new fiance.

Everyone treats me well, but it's kind of weird having a bedroom in each home. This means I have two beds, two closets with clothes, two desks to do homework on and so forth.

The one thing that bothers me is when I'm at my dad's house, his fiance burns a lot of incense and stuff like that. She also has a lot of stinky candles burning around the house. These things make me cough a lot and sometimes make my eyes water too. It's not like I have asthma or anything like that, but I definitely can feel the irritation.

Over the summer it was not too bad because many windows were left open. But now here in the fall it's getting colder and winter will be here soon so this means the windows will be closed most of the day. What can I do about this? I don't want to say anything because I fear she will dislike me and maybe my father will take her side on this problem. I know this issue might be small compared to someone living in a home with a smoker, but It's still a problem that I have to deal with all the time. — I Go Back and Forth Weekly, via email

I GO BACK AND FORTH WEEKLY: Seek out a time you can speak to your father alone when his fiance is not present or within earshot of your conversation.

Start by telling your dad how much you love and appreciate him and that you'd never want to upset him. Also mention that you get along very well with his fiance, and you respect her and are very happy for each of them. Then directly ask your father for his help! Explain the situation and let him know about your coughing and watery eyes.

Perhaps your father can then come up with a suitable solution that everyone can agree to. For example, he may be able to get you an air purifier for your room, He may be able to encourage her to only use these products in certain areas of their home or at certain times of day.

When this situation gets resolved (and I trust it will), be sure to thank them both and tell them how much you appreciate them looking out for you.

I REALLY NEED MY PHONE AT NIGHT

DR. WALLACE: My parents are pretty good and reasonable with me and my brother and. sister, but there's one area that really bugs me a lot! It's my cellphone. My parents take it away from me every night at 8 p.m. as I have to do an hour of homework every night. I'm 14 years old and I have a lot of friends that I would like to call or text once I finish my homework.

Some nights I even complete my homework early, but even then, if it's 8:30 or 8:40, I can't get my phone back until the next morning! And sometimes my siblings and I watch movies with our parents until 10 or 10:30 p.m. but I can't check my messages or call anyone until the next morning. I think this is very unfair. Do you agree? — Need My Phone, via email

NEED MY PHONE: I obviously don't know your family situation or dynamics, but I do know that every family is different, and many have different rules.

In your case, at the age of 14, I can understand why your parents wish to have a cutoff time for your phone usage.

For example, you mentioned sometimes finishing your studies early. But even when you do so, there is no "reward" in getting your phone back into your hands to use right away. This subtly sets you up to not rush through your homework in an effort to look at your phone. Instead, you have time to do your work with your full concentration applied to your studies.

Similarly, I also understand how your parents would not wish for you to be browsing your phone during a family movie viewing for the very same reason. Without your phone you're much more likely to stay engaged with the movie and to interact with your siblings and parents during the viewing.

Therefore, I can understand in principle why your parents have made this decision. Over time I feel they will be likely to give you more access time with your phone. But at your present age of 14, I feel their actions are reasonable.

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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