DR. WALLACE: Our health teacher said that, lately, the number of babies born to teenage mothers in the United States has been decreasing steadily. I find this hard to believe. I, personally, am aware of four classmates who are unmarried and gave birth to a baby. Has there really been a decline of teen births lately and, if so, why? — Nameless, Dallas, Tex.

NAMELESS: The number of teenage girls giving birth has dropped 10 percent from 2009 to 2010, and the drop had been dropping significantly (by 45 percent) since 1991 for teens ages 15 to 19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 1988 to 2008, the abortion rate among 15 to 19-year-olds fell by 59 percent as reported by the Guttmacher Institute.

The major reason why there is a marked decline in teen pregnancies is that teens today are less sexually active, believe it or not. From 1991 to 2011, the percentage of high school students who have had sex fell from 54 percent to 47 percent. And, according to the CDC, of those teens who are sexually active, some 80 percent say they used contraception, and the consequences of unwanted pregnancies have declined.

The Department of Health and Human Services has found 31 different, but effective, sex education programs that produce positive results, and the Department has been promoting them.

However, the biggest single factor is that today's teens are smart about sex and pregnancy. It's very important that the percentage of childbirths to unwed teen mothers has been decreasing, but this percentage needs to continue on its downward path.

It's still shocking that, according to the CDC, more than 300,000 teenage girls gave birth in 2012 with 80 percent of the pregnancies unintended. The nation's top health officials have overruled efforts to make "morning-after pills" available to girls younger than 17 without a prescription. That leaves it up to doctors to try to protect their younger patients from unwanted pregnancies.

DON'T CALL ME BOB, CALL ME ROBERT

DR. WALLACE: My name is Robert and I want to be called Robert. I applied for a part-time job at a paint company. I'm what you would call a handyman. I do a little of everything, from mixing paint to sweeping floors. I like the job, and I like getting paid. But I don't like being referred to as Bob. I put down Robert on my job application, but when I went for an interview with the owner, he said, "Hello, Bob," I cringed, but I didn't correct him for obvious reasons. When he introduced me to the other workers after I was hired, he introduced me as Bob.

Now everybody calls me Bob. I hate the name Bob. Should I tell the workers to call me Robert? I hope you say yes, because I'll start as soon as you give the word. I'll run copies of your column and hand them out to my co-workers, including the owner. — Robert, El Paso, Tex.

ROBERT: There's no need to make that much of an issue of it. When someone addresses you as Bob, simply say, "Actually, I prefer Robert." Your boss was just being friendly by using the shorter, more familiar form of your name.

I'm in a similar situation. I was called Bobby by my parents. I am called Bob by my friends and Robert professionally. I respond to all three.

Since you enjoy your job, take my advice by not putting copies of this column in the hands of co-workers, and especially, the owner.

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 [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.