DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 and so is my boyfriend. He is an awesome guy and I respect him very much.

However, his mother is a different story. She is definitely not what you would call a "good parent." She never sees anything good in my boyfriend and so he is never rewarded for good behavior. She is a very domineering parent and she grounds him for just about anything she considers wrong, and with her that is plenty! When he is grounded she has taken away his driving privileges, and that means if she does let him out of the house, I have to do all the driving.

When we do go out on a date, it means he has to call her periodically to check in about where he is as if he is in grade school! I think I should try to have a talk with her and find out if she is ever planning to cut his "apron strings" and give him some freedom. My parents were fairly strict, but his mother is going overboard! — Nameless, Montgomery, Ala.

NAMELESS: Do not contact your boyfriend's mother to complain about her rules. The rules she has set for him are none of your concern. Either accept the rules you disagree with, or move on and find a guy whose dating rules suit you better!

YOU MADE MY DAY

DR. WALLACE: I'm the boy who wrote to you about this bully at school who had been making me give him a dollar every day or he'd beat me up. I didn't want to worry my mom, and my dad lives in another state. You told me the best thing to do was to discuss this with my principal and she/he would solve my problem.

You were absolutely right — my principal did solve my problem! She called my mother and the boy's father to a meeting the very next day. The boy's father apologized to my mother and told her his son would never bother me again.

Yesterday, this boy came up to me at school, told me he was sorry and handed me a $10 bill for the money he took from me.

You asked me to write and let you know how things turned out. Well, they turned out great! And I want to thank you for helping me, and my mom also wants to thank you for your quick settlement of this problem. — Steve, Oakland, Calif.

STEVE: I'm happy that things worked out well for you and that the bully has changed his ways. You just made my day!

FIND A HUSBAND WHO LIKES CHILDREN

DR. WALLACE: I'm 20 years old and a single mother of a 2-year-old son. For the past nine months, I've been dating a really nice guy who says he loves me. He owns his own house and has asked me to marry him.

I really love this guy, and I think I might like to marry him, but one thing really worries me. The problem is that he has said that he doesn't really like children.

Do you think it's possible that he would learn to like my son after we get married and he gets to know him better? — Curious, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

CURIOUS: You need to be clear about your priorities. Your prime concern is taking care of your son, not finding a husband.

Do not marry a man who has shown no love for your son, and probably won't. It simply will not work. Eventually, you will find a nice guy who loves children and who loves you, too!

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.

Photo credit: Rosmarie Voegtli