DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend and I get along great. We're both in college at the same university, and he's now 20 and I'm 19. We've been dating for a year and two months, and that time has flown by!

The only issue I have is that he wants me to "dress up" more often when we go out! By "dressing up" I think he means that he wants me to wear more dresses with high heels rather than the comfortable jeans I prefer.

I do dress up for special occasions, and I do often receive some nice compliments from my friends and others. But for most day-to-day things, including going to a local restaurant on a Saturday night, I prefer to be casual and comfortable.

Should I continue with my current wardrobe choices, or do you feel I should dress how my boyfriend would prefer? — Casual and Comfortable, via email

CASUAL AND COMFORTABLE: I agree with your current choices. You do dress up when special occasions occur and call for it. But when you're spending time in your regular routine, you like to be comfortable. I see nothing wrong with your style at all.

Your boyfriend has made his request and hopefully is not badgering you on this issue. Keep an eye on this, since it could indicate a mild form of attempted control. However, if he simply stated his preference once and then let the issue go without bringing it up again, then that's a much better sign.

If the latter is the case, I recommend that you stick with your preferred style 95%-98% of the time, but just for fun, you might occasionally elect to surprise him randomly by dressing up a bit when he does not expect it. The rest of the time, you deserve to be as comfortable as you wish.

SHOULD I SAY ANYTHING?

DR. WALLACE: I saw my older brother steal money out of my dad's wallet. Should I tell my father about this? It was a Saturday morning, and my brother was borrowing the car to go to our local lake with his friends.

What's strange is that I saw my brother fiddle through the cash in Dad's wallet until he found a $20 bill. That's what he took, and he put the rest back into the wallet. There were a lot of other bills in my dad's wallet, but my brother only took the one $20 bill.

My brother did not see me when I noticed all of this. I don't want to start a fight, but I don't want my brother to take money behind my father's back either. By the way, I'm 14 and my older brother is 19. We get along well right now, so I don't want to start a fight with him, but I don't believe in stealing either. — I Saw Him Take It, via email

I SAW HIM TAKE IT: Yes, you did see what you saw, but you don't actually know the context of what happened for sure just yet.

Considering that your brother had permission in advance to use the car, it could be that your father told him to take $20 for fuel for his trip. I'm not saying this is true for sure, but only that it could be a possibility.

I suggest that you say nothing to your father at this time. Instead, ask your brother about the matter when you feel the timing is right and when your father will not hear your discussion. Let your brother know what you saw and ask him why he did that. Then say nothing more and watch your brother's reaction to your comment. His reaction will likely inform you of what actually happened. If he gets defensive and angry, perhaps he did "steal" the money. But if he calmly explains that your father told him to take the $20, then that's what likely happened.

Either way, you'll be able to clear the air with your brother. You may or may not want to tell your father what happened, depending on his reply to you.

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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