DR. WALLACE: I'm a high school basketball player, and a pretty good one. I'm a junior. I stand 6 feet, 4 inches tall, and I'm pretty well-coordinated for my size. I truly enjoy playing high school basketball and really cherish the camaraderie I have with my teammates and our entire coaching staff. I feel valued and important to all of these people.

But it's a different story when it comes to my father. For the last two years, he has never shown any interest in my basketball achievements and has never attended any of my games.

Then an interesting thing happened last Saturday afternoon. I told my mother that I might be able to qualify for a scholarship to play basketball at a local college. The next evening at dinner, my father suddenly became very interested in my basketball playing.

His questions were centered around which schools may provide me scholarships and if those scholarships would be complete or partial. I think what he was driving at is how much money I would save on college costs if I could attend one on a scholarship.

My first reaction was to make a snarky comment to my father about showing no interest in my basketball playing at all, but a little voice in the back of my head told me to just answer his questions without letting on to him how frustrated I felt that he suddenly became interested only when money was involved.

Now I'm torn as to what to do about this. My father and I actually get along well in most other areas of my life. He's not a bad guy at all, but he never played sports growing up and he's never demonstrated any interest in them around me. In fact, he does not watch professional sports on television at all.

What should I do at this point? — Potential scholarship winner, via email

POTENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER: Your father sounds very old-school in terms of his mentality, and I believe, in his own way, he's actually very proud of you and looking out for you.

You mentioned he did not play sports and does not watch sports on television, so with that background, it's natural that he may feel sports are just a hobby and a way to get exercise rather than a potential career or educational path.

Once he suddenly realized you could achieve and receive something monetary out of your abilities in this area, his paternal interests kicked in.

Your letter did not mention whether or not you've discussed going to college with your parents and if they would be willing to help you out financially to some level along the way. I also do not know about your family's overall financial condition, but the fact your father is showing an interest in you achieving this scholarship tells me that he probably has planned on helping you continue your education, should you want to.

Look at this situation as a blessing. It opens the door for you to sit down with both of your parents and discuss going to college, whether or not you achieve a scholarship or even a partial scholarship.

And since your father, as you described, is a pretty good guy who gets along well with you in all other areas of your life, I feel you were very wise to avoid any snarky comments directed at him. You should now simply focus on communicating with him about your future on an ongoing basis, and I'd go a step further. Invite him to attend one of your home games so he can see why colleges are so interested in you.

I'M EXCITED TO START BABYSITTING!

DR. WALLACE: I'm really excited because now that I've turned 16, our friendly neighbors down our street told me that I can babysit their 5-year-old daughter one night each weekend — and I can earn a little extra money by doing so. Is there anything special I should know so that I can become a really good babysitter? — New babysitter, via email

NEW BABYSITTER: I highly recommend that all young people who wish to take up babysitting jobs prepare themselves to be as effective as possible with this very important responsibility. It's always a good idea to take first-aid training classes at a suitable local organization or even a national one such as the American Red Cross.

Eating is always another area of concern. Be very careful what a child in your care eats and make sure all portions are cut into very small pieces. Certain foods can easily become lodged in a small child's airway, so be prepared for this in advance both in terms of what they may consume and how you could help them if an emergency arises.

Congratulations on your new opportunity, and thank you for being so conscientious in terms of wanting to be prepared for your new responsibility. I'd say you're off to a good start already.

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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