DR. WALLACE: I'm 15 and in the 10th grade. The guy I'm seeing is 19, has graduated from high school and is a full-time student at Valparaiso University. I met him at a restaurant this summer. He was our waiter, and he asked me for my phone number, so I gave it to him. The rest is history.

My parents are not happy with this relationship because of the age difference. Our age difference is not a problem to us because we are emotionally in tune. Age is just a number. We are extremely fond of each other and are thinking of a future together.

My own parents met when my mom was 19 and my dad was 23, and they have been married over 20 years. My parents have a four-year age difference, so why is our four-year difference such a problem? — Nameless, Valparaiso, Ind.

NAMELESS: When both members of a couple have turned 18 and are no longer in high school, chronological age diminishes in importance. But the four-year age difference from 15 to 19 is significant in terms of physical, social and emotional maturity.

I'm aware that you feel comfortable in your relationship with this boy, but I agree with your parents that the age difference is a bit too great.

IT'S NOT SIZE, IT'S CHARACTER THAT'S IMPORTANT

DR. WALLACE: I'm 5 feet tall in stocking feet. I'm called petite, but actually I'm short — and I love it. I have no trouble being crowded on a plane. I can sleep in the smallest beds and I enjoy curling up in any size chair and reading a good book. I think it's great to be short.

Why, then, am I in the great minority? Everybody in our family was pulling for me to grow taller. My mother even took me to a doctor when I was 11 to find out if anything could be done to make me grow taller. The doctor told her I was fine just the way I was. I could have given him a great big hug.

Why does everyone want to be tall? If they were smart, they'd all want to be short. — Nameless, Vicksburg, Miss.

NAMELESS: Blame society and its notion that "bigger is better." But we both know that size doesn't matter, it's a person's character that's important!

YOU MUST GIVE UP YOUR SMOKING HABIT

DR. WALLACE: I read in a magazine that the nicotine and tar levels in cigarettes have declined a lot in the last 25 years. If that's true, cigarettes shouldn't be as dangerous today as they were then. So why, then, are we still being hyped that smoking is bad? It seems like cigarettes are safer than they once were. I'm interested in this because I'm a smoker who has tried to quit a dozen times, but failed. I'm also concerned about my health. — Rosie, Nashville, Tenn.

ROSIE: Since you are concerned about your health, you must find a way to give up your smoking habit.

It's true that tar and nicotine levels are lower today, but smoking is still dangerous and potentially deadly. That's because American smokers (especially women) now smoke more cigarettes, inhale them more deeply, and start smoking at a much earlier age. In fact, according to the University of California Wellness Letter, smoking-related death rates are higher today than ever before even with lower tar and nicotine.

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.