DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend and I have been dating for over six months. My parents have seen him many times. They like him a lot, and I know he likes my parents because he tells me that he does and he always speaks to them respectfully, but a problem has recently cropped up. When he first started picking me up for dates, he would come into the house and assure my parents he would bring me home on time before my 10:30 p.m. curfew. That happened for about the first two months. Then he decided instead of coming in, he would simply wait in his car and honk his horn for me to come out. That didn't last very long because after the second time, my parents put an end to it.

For the next four months, he faithfully parked his car, came inside our house and went through my parents' drill: "Where are you going? Who's going to be there? Make sure you behave like a gentleman, and make sure you're back by 10:30 p.m."

Now my boyfriend says he's tired of being asked the same old stupid questions time after time. He wants to be allowed to stay in his car and honk his horn for me again. He has never failed to bring me home before my curfew — always safe and sound! I can honestly tell you that he is a gentleman, if you know what I mean. Please give me your take on my unique situation. — "Honkette," via email

"HONKETTE": Surely a young man can walk from the curb to your front door without complaining! Being allowed to take a wonderful young lady such as you out on a date is quite a privilege. Therefore, I agree with your parents. If your boyfriend wants to continue seeing you, he should willingly engage in this courtesy, especially because it means so much to your parents. Finally, I would postulate that he has a touch of a lazy streak in him. Keep an eye out for that in the future to see if there are other areas of his life where he prefers a "horn honk" versus actually completing a task correctly with a little physical effort.

RETURN TO YOUR FAMILY

DR. WALLACE: I am in a children's home as a ward of the state because I couldn't stand the fighting that was going on between my parents and my brothers and sisters. I'm 15 years old and have been here for the past nine months. I go home and visit on weekends, and things seem to be getting better lately.

Now my social worker has told me that I could return home full time on a trial basis, or I could remain here for the time being and continue to visit my family on the weekends. I love my family very much, but while at this home, I have acquired a boyfriend. It's my first one, and I would hate to leave him, especially since we get along so well. He treats me like a princess and is very kind to me. He said if we part now that it's likely that we will never get back together. I don't know if this is true or not, so I'm really torn and don't know what to do at this point. What is your advice for my situation? — Anonymous, via email

ANONYMOUS: I can understand your dilemma, and after much thought, I think you should return home to your family and give things a chance to go well at home. It's important for a family to be together, so you should try to build upon the positive momentum that currently exists there. You need your family, and your family needs you. See if your parents can arrange for you to meet with your boyfriend occasionally. Do mention him to them, and let them know he is important to you. Should your parents understand this and help provide you with transportation to make these visits, this could go a long way toward your family's internal bonding and healing, too. You and your boyfriend can communicate by phone, text or email in between visits in person. Leaving him to return to your family home definitely doesn't mean the two of you will never see each other again.

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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