DR. WALLACE: I'm 14 and a freshman in high school. I was an A student in junior high, and I'm also getting all A's now. My parents, who were born in Korea, consider my grades all-important, just as their parents did in Korea.

I love my parents dearly, but they put so much pressure on me to be a superior student that sometimes I feel like running away. If I were to get a final grade of B in one of my courses, my parents would collapse in horror. I've got to study three hours per evening on school days and five hours on Saturday and five hours on Sunday. I'm not allowed to participate in school activities. I'm not allowed to join clubs, go to athletic games or even see a school play. To them, these things might interfere with my making straight A's.

I would like to join a club and go to a football game, but the answer is always no. What can I do to convince them that I could still get excellent grades and enjoy being a total student, not just a "brain"? —Lu, San Diego, Calif.

LU: Your parents are so concerned about your academic success that they're pushing you to the breaking point and setting you up for failure. You are absolutely right that the best way to go through high school is as a total student, maintaining top grades and also fully partaking in extracurricular activities. You have a right to enjoy your life!

You need an ally. I suggest you talk with your counselor about the situation. Ask him or her to invite your parents to school for a conference so that this professional can discuss with them the value of participation in non-academic programs. Indeed, most colleges look for more than just superb grades. They like to see that a student has a broad range of extracurricular interests as well.

DO YOU WONDER WHY PEOPLE SMOKE?

TEENS: If your best friend smokes, will you eventually become a smoker? If your parents or brothers and sisters smoke, will you join in and participate in this nasty habit? Everyone knows how evil smoking is, and there are times you may wonder why anyone smokes at all. It's the company you keep.

A study of 12- to 18-year-olds conducted by the Los Angeles-based National Center for Health Statistics found that a teen was twice as likely to smoke if an older brother or sister did. They were three times more likely to smoke if their parents did, too. And half of the teen with two best friends who smoked were smokers themselves. If none of their best friends smoked, they almost never smoked. Twenty percent of teenagers smoke and more than half think they'll probably give it up within a year. The reality: Three out of four of them have already tried to quit at least once — and failed.

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 [email protected]. 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.