DR. WALLACE: I'm a lad of 16 years. I'm in the Chicago area with my family to celebrate Christmas with my grandparents who were both born in Ireland but became American citizens a long time ago. Since I have never been to the United States before, this is the first time I have ever seen my grandma and grandpa. They are wonderful, and I think it's great that they still have their Irish lilt in their speech!

My parents have told my grandparents that John Wayne is my favorite American actor and that my favorite movie is "The Quiet Man," which starred Wayne. He played a boxer who dearly loved Ireland.

My grandfather has told me that you are also a fan of John Wayne and that you wrote a special column about John Wayne some time ago. Is it possible that you could reprint that column for me? I would really love to read it and share all about John Wayne with my friends in Ireland.

If you can, please do it as soon as possible because my family and I will be returning to Dublin soon after Christmas. Thanking you in advance! — Patrick, Dublin, Ireland.

PATRICK: I could never refuse a polite young Irish lad. Your wish is my command. I'm reprinting this column just for you to share with your young Irish friends.

Since I began writing this teen column, I've had the opportunity to meet and talk with many public figures, including many educators, newspaper publishers, writers, politicians and actors, but my most cherished chat was with actor John Wayne.

The place was Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California, a few weeks before his death. The editor of the Orange County Register was a friend of John's and he invited me to meet "The Duke." I was shocked when I saw him lying in bed, because he had lost a lot of weight. The reason was that he was suffering from lung cancer.

When I was introduced to John, he told me that he enjoyed reading my column and hoped that my teen readers would take my wise and friendly advice! We then had a nice visit and he answered my questions about his career: Which movie did you most enjoy making? ("The Quiet Man.") Which actress did you most enjoy working with in your many films? ("All of them.") What message do you have for our teen readers? ("I'd like to tell them that The Duke helped drive a herd of cattle from Texas to Kansas and fought the war on the sands of Iwo Jima and survived. But I won't survive my addiction to cigarettes.")

Three weeks after our meeting, John Wayne died of lung cancer. His final words to me were: "Young man, you have the great responsibility to encourage young adults to be honorable human beings who respect law and order, and to love their country. And you must keep telling them to refrain from smoking; I wish I had been strong enough to break my addictive smoking habit."

I've taken John Wayne's advice, and I keep telling teens of the evils of smoking. I hope his message will help convince you and our teen readers that tobacco products are a total waste of money and could be a serious, even fatal, health hazard!

Patrick, I'm positive that you will honor John Wayne's dying wish that teens refrain from smoking!

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 15-year-old girl and have two older brothers who no longer live at home. We all play two musical instruments. I played piano when I was 5 and added violin when I was 8. I'm in a youth orchestra and enjoy it very much.

But I do have a problem. I get the feeling that music is the most important thing in my mother's life, even more important than her family. I practice one hour each day on each instrument, but she thinks I should spend "a lot more time" on both instruments.

My mother hates it when I play soccer on the school team. She even says she's going to home-teach me next school year so I will have more time to practice. I feel grateful for all the things my parents do for me, but I feel I've got to "practice, practice, practice" to gain my mother's love. I am a straight-A student, and I give violin lessons to some young learners. Help! — Carley, Fullerton, Calif.

CARLEY: Music exists to enrich the life of both performer and listener. It should not be drudgery, nor should it be all consuming, keeping a teenager from physical activities such as soccer. When something beautiful becomes tedious and unpleasant, there's a problem. It's called overkill. Let's hope Mom reads your letter and relaxes a little bit about your schedule. There's more to life than "practice, practice, practice"!

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@galesburg.net. 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.

Photo credit: Mary Madigan