DR. WALLACE: A close friend of mine and I are two girls who are high school students. We're about to finish our sophomore year in high school. We talk to each other a lot and even tell each other our deepest secrets.

My friend shocked me when she confessed to me last week that she shoplifted a small accessory from a clothing store at our local mall about two weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon.

She said to me that she felt very ashamed afterward and couldn't bring herself to wear or even use the accessory because she would always know how she got it and be ashamed of it. But instead of returning it to the store, she told me she gave it to another girl at school without saying where it came from.

I've been asking her why she felt she needed to do that, since she has a little spending money from her allowance and comes from a decent family. She told me she doesn't know why she did it and that she feels so terrible that she knows already that she'll never do it again. Should I say anything to her parents about this, or should I just keep having discussions with her over the next several weeks and months to see how she's doing? — My Friend Delivered Shocking News, via email

MY FRIEND DELIVERED SHOCKING NEWS: At this point it's likely best to continue to talk things out with your friend and encourage her to both forgive herself and to monitor her feelings and behavior going forward. It does sound as if she's extremely contrite, and perhaps she even traumatized herself during this episode.

You could encourage your friend to see if the store in question has any charities that they support, as she could make a small donation worth about the amount of the item in question; this may help her with her self-forgiveness. Telling her parents behind her back at this stage will likely jeopardize your friendship. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't speak up if something like this ever happens again, or if you notice any other type of behavior that may indicate something wrong is going on with her.

Keep a very close eye on your friend, and even encourage her to talk to a counselor or anyone else at your school that she may want to speak to, as there could be other things going on in her life that we are unaware of.

MY DAD FIRST SAID TWO HOURS AFTER SUNSET BUT NOT ANYMORE!

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 16-year-old girl, and my father told me that my summer curfew was going to be two hours after the sun sets each night. But then he realized that the sun will stay out for part of the summer until past 8:30 p.m. in our part of the country, so he has now set my curfew for 9:30 p.m. for the entire summer!

I think this is really unfair, as a lot of my friends get to stay out until 10 p.m. regularly. What can I do about this? I kind of feel like he has already gone back on his word! — My Curfew Is Far Too Early, via email

MY CURFEW WAS FAR TOO EARLY: I'll give your father credit for creativity in setting a curfew on a sliding scale based upon what time the sun sets, but the practicality of utilizing and enforcing such a curfew would be fraught with difficulty. The days get longer in North America every day up through June 21, then they start to get a little shorter throughout the rest of the summer.

My advice is to accept the 9:30 p.m. curfew for the first few weeks of summer, and then gradually ask if you can stay out 15 minutes later until 9:45 p.m., and again ask later if you can stay out until 10 p.m., especially if your friends have a similar curfew and their parents can provide you a safe ride home if you are all out together.

The key is communication, so be sure even at the beginning of summer that you text your parents regularly to let them know where you are, and mention that you'll be home on time at 9:30 p.m. Keep up a good track record, and the chances of you being granted an extra 15 to 30 minutes gradually over time are quite good. Your performance and a good attitude will go a long way toward you gradually achieving your goal.

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.

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