DR. WALLACE: I'm turning 18 in about three weeks, and I've been saving up enough money to get either one or two small tattoos. My friends are literally bombarding me with ideas and things they think I should do.

Some of them sounded reasonable, some of them sounded not so good, and although I thought it would be easy to figure out what I wanted, I'm now more confused than ever. I also worried that if I listen to one of my friends and not the others, I'll create jealousy or animosity by following one suggestion and not another.

What was once something I was really looking forward to now feels kind of like doing a term paper project to figure it all out. How do I make the best decision here? — Everyone Has a Suggestion, via email

EVERYONE HAS A SUGGESTION: By taking your time and not rushing into anything just because you'll soon be 18 and able to make your own decisions!

I feel a good course of action would be to give yourself a period of time — like summer, at the earliest — before you make any decisions at all. Since tattoos are, for the most part, permanent, there's no need to rush into anything at this point in my opinion. There's also an outside chance that you may decide you don't want a tattoo for the foreseeable future, and that you may want to think about it down the road in a few years.

Let all these thoughts percolate in your head, and make one of your first adult decisions a good one. That is, don't feel obligated to rush into anything because of peer pressure.

If and when the time comes, you'll know what you want or don't want. Until then, take your time and use your newly minted decision-making power as an adult well.

IS COIN COLLECTING ABOUT TO GO EXTINCT LIKE PENNIES ARE?

DR. WALLACE: I've been looking for a new hobby since I'm a sophomore in high school and have some free time. I've been thinking about getting involved in something that I can do not only as a young person now but perhaps when I've become a young adult and even older.

One of my uncles recommended coin collecting. Do you think that's worth doing, or is it something that's going to end soon if coins phase out from our society? If so, there would be no need to start collecting them now. I heard pennies are already not being produced anymore! — Is Coin Collecting Almost Over?, via email

IS COIN COLLECTING ALMOST OVER?: I absolutely do not believe coin collecting is almost over! Yes, pennies will not be minted anymore, but that may make some of the older coins perhaps even more valuable.

Collectors love to hold a piece of history in their hands, and coins, stamps and trading cards (like baseball cards) allow people to do just that. Great works of art also fall into this category, although they tend to be much more expensive.

Coin collecting would be something that I trust will sustain through not only your youthful years but throughout the course of your life if you find it interesting. Take a look around in your area to see if there are coin shops, coin shows or others who are collectors that could take you under their wing and show you what the hobby is all about.

It's worth giving it a good look and then making a decision either way based upon how you feel. And if coins don't end up doing it for you, there are many other hobbies you can certainly consider, especially at your age.

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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