DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend and I have not communicated since we had a huge argument last Saturday night. It all started because I thought he was flirting with another girl when I went to the powder room to put on some makeup. I saw him and this girl laughing together when I came out. When this girl saw me coming, she split the scene very quickly. When I asked him why he was laughing with another girl, he told me it was none of my business. I said it most definitely was my business, and that triggered the argument. We had a heated exchange that did not end well.

I have now found out that this girl was his older sister's best friend and he's known her for over five years. I want to apologize to my boyfriend, but my grandmother says he's the one who should apologize first because guys should be gentlemen, and a gentleman would never allow a girl to apologize first. She also said that my boyfriend should have told me who the girl was instead of giving me the smart aleck remark: "It's none your business." Does Grandma have a point? — Embarrassed Girlfriend, Madison, Wisconsin

EMBARRASSED GIRLFRIEND: It really doesn't matter who apologizes first after an argument. What's important is rekindling the relationship and setting it back up on solid ground going forward. In this case, it sounds like you both were partially at fault, but I suggest you be the first to say I'm sorry.

If your boyfriend had written to me with this very same issue, I would have given him the very same advice to apologize first. Somebody has to take that courageous first step to begin the healing, and since you were brave enough to contact me about this, continue being brave by being the first to step up with an apology. If you two do patch things up, wait a few days, or even a week, and ask him to do you a favor. Ask him to please not use "trigger" phrases like "none of your business" in the future, and you, in turn, should promise him to work hard to not overreact with anger in the future, no matter what he may say to you. This way, you both can seek to improve your interpersonal communications, which will provide you both nice benefits going forward in your relationship.

BOYS OFTEN GROW IN SPURTS

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 12-year-old boy, and I'm also the shortest boy in my class. I'd sure like to grow a little taller as soon as possible! How much longer will I continue to get taller? I really hope I am not now at my adult height. — Short Stuff, Brooklyn, New York

SHORT STUFF: Boys continue to grow up to their 18th birthdays, and some continue to grow into their early 20s. Most boys have a growth spurt, where two or more inches of height is added in a matter of months. It usually takes place from age 12 to 14 but can arrive later for certain individuals. I do think that at your current age of 12, you have some nice growth spurts in front of you.

While you wait for a bit more height to arrive, continue to be the best person you possibly can in school and with your family and friends. Focus on that as you enter your teen years. Remember, what is most important for all human beings is on the inside: their character, their personality, their trustworthiness, their ability to have compassion for others, their moral compass and their self-esteem. I trust you'll soon be the whole package — inside and out.

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.