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Love Is the Key to Successful Parenting
DR. WALLACE: I am a single parent of an 11-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son. I had a lot of problems as a teen because my parents were super lenient in controlling me. Let's say I could do almost anything that I wanted with no questions asked.…Read more.
Give Intelligent Young Women a Break
DR. WALLACE: I'm angry that you encourage all girls, even the mentally, emotionally and physically mature young women who happen to be teenagers, not to get involved with older guys. You are dead wrong in your assumption that older guys and teenage …Read more.
Open and Honest Conversation Is Paramount
DR. WALLACE: Please tell me what to do. I'm 20, married three years and the mother of a 2-year-old son. I love my husband very much, but I'm lonely and depressed. My husband works 12 to 16 hours, 6 days a week. I have no friends, no job and no time …Read more.
My Friend's Mother Helps Her Cheat
DR. WALLACE: We have homework four days a week in world history. I do all my homework by myself, but my best friend's mother helps her with hers. I average a B on my homework, but my friend averages an A. I don't believe this is fair. Both of us are …Read more.
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I'm Told I'm Attractive, but I Feel UglyDR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and don't have a boyfriend. I've dated a few guys, but it always winds up that they're not compatible with me. My friends and family think I'm attractive because I look like I could be a model, and they say I have a wonderful personality. Still, I can't find the guy for me. Because of this, I have low self-esteem and I honestly think I'm ugly. I've joined school clubs, been active in church youth groups and community volunteer committees, but still no luck. I've had some of my best girlfriends fix me up with friends of their boyfriends, but nothing developed. I would greatly value your advice. — Carley, San Luis Obispo, Calif. CARLEY: When your friends and family tell you you're attractive, believe them! Don't tie your self-esteem to having a boyfriend — not at any age, especially age 16. Mr. Right will come along when you're ready for him; a sense of desperation won't make him appear any faster. Just relax and keep leading an active life. One thing I would recommend that you do differently, however, is to stop judging the success of your involvement with clubs, committees and church groups by whether or not a boyfriend emerges from the activity. You join organizations for personal enjoyment. You should also keep dating, of course — but once again, don't judge the success of the date by whether he turns out to be your boyfriend. Sooner or later, you'll meet someone who clicks: The conversation will flow; the common interests and beliefs you discover will startle both of you. Because you've had to wait for him, you'll be much more able to appreciate him once you've found him. But meanwhile, put your energy into discovering yourself — who you really are and what you really like.
SEX EDUCATION IS A VALUABLE CLASS DR. WALLACE: Our high school provides a sex education course for all students, but parent permission must be given before a student can take the class. I want to take the class, but my dad doesn't want me to because he thinks it will put "sexual thoughts" into my head. Dr. Wallace, all I want to do is learn from a professional teacher. Please answer my letter in your column, so I can show my father that you would approve of me taking this class. I'm positive that you would approve. — Nameless, Kingman, Ariz. NAMELESS: As a former high school principal, I do indeed agree that this would be a valuable class for you to take. Almost all education and health professionals support such programs. After evaluating 30 sex-education programs, researchers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that providing information to teens about sex, including the use of contraceptives, does not increase teen sexual activity. Sex education does not hasten a teen's first sexual experience or increase the frequency of sexual activity or the number of sex partners for those who are already sexually active, the report concluded. The United States still leads the industrialized world in teen pregnancies and birth rates by a large margin. One way to reduce the pregnancies is through sex education. 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. E-mail 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. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
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