DR. WALLACE: I have a midnight curfew on Saturday night. Last Saturday I went to a movie with my boyfriend and we went out for a pizza afterward. While at the pizza parlor we met another couple, both of whom are good friends of mine. One thing led to another and we were having a great conversation and my boyfriend and I completely forgot about the time. To make a long story short, I was 45 minutes late.

My parents were furious and blamed my boyfriend. They said it was his responsibility to get me home on time. They are considering having me break up with him. I think that I should be punished for abusing curfew, but that I'm the one to blame, not my boyfriend. How do you see it? — Nameless, Orlando, Fla.

NAMELESS: Your date has a responsibility to see that you do not break curfew, but the prime responsibility rests with you. You are more at fault than your boyfriend and should be disciplined and your parents should have a chat with your boyfriend to remind him of his responsibilities if he still wants to date their daughter.

HE IS WORTH THE WAIT

DR. WALLACE: This story is one for the book! I'm 15 and interested in going out with a guy who attends our church. He has a great personality and is adorable. I was hoping that he would ask me out because he has already told me that I'm "super cute." I waited and waited, but no date request ever came so I decided to be the "aggressor" and ask him for a date. This is what he said, "I'd really like to go out with you, but I'm not permitted to date for another seven months when I'll be 16." I couldn't believe my ears. I know parents put restrictions on dating age for their daughters, for obvious reasons, but this is the first time I've heard a guy being restricted until he turns 16. It's not as if the guy is 12 or 13, he's 15 and a half! Have you ever had anyone ever address this "problem" in the years you have been writing your column? - Nameless, Salt Lake City, Utah.

NAMELESS: This is a first. But think about it for a moment. Why should girls have an age restriction for dating and not the boys? As we all know, "for obvious reasons" applies to both sexes. If this guy is as good as you say, he's definitely worth the wait.

A TIME TO USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

DR. WALLACE: I'm mainly addressing this letter to the teenage girl from San Diego who lied to her date, telling him she was sick after discovering that he didn't have a car. She couldn't face the embarrassment of having to take the bus to the beach to meet him.

I'm a 22-year-old college student and I have dated a reasonable number of guys. I've used public transportation on many dates — both when I ask the guy out and when he asks me. There was a time (I hate to admit it) when I would have been embarrassed to take the bus. Not anymore.

The cost of using a car is enormous. First, you have to buy it, then license it, insure it, service it, pay to park it and keep gas in the tank. I don't know how much money teens have, but at 22 it's all I can do to pay for rent, electricity, telephone, food, clothes, medical insurance, dental bills, etc., as well as for my tuition and books.

Teens, as well as the rest of us, should be aware of the energy crisis facing our country. Why not do your part to conserve energy? Leave the car in the garage and use public transportation. That's something to be proud of, not embarrassed about. — Teena, Evansville, Ind.

TEENA: You make a great point. There's nothing whatsoever wrong with public transportation. Society couldn't function without it. Thanks for reminding us to curb our occasionally foolish pride.

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. 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.