DR. WALLACE: Last semester I was selected to be a school patrol monitor. My mother didn't like the idea because I had to report to school a half-hour earlier than the rest of the kids. This meant that my mom also had to get up 30 minutes earlier than usual. This semester I was appointed patrol monitor captain because I had done a super job. When I told my mom, she was furious and wanted me to quit because she was tired of getting up early. Please tell me what I should do. I really want to be captain more than anything in the world. Please hurry with your advice. I'm 12 years old. — Penny, San Diego, Calif.

PENNY: If mom has to get up early to make your breakfast and pack your lunch, you can convince her that you are old enough to fend for yourself. You can make your lunch the night before and refrigerate it. Then set out what you need for breakfast, (leave the milk in the fridge) and you'll be ready to go.

Mom should be proud of your accomplishment. It's an honor to be selected the captain. You might ask your teacher to call your mom and let her know that you are a superb monitor and that the school needs and appreciates your strong leadership. Much too often parents are not aware of their child's superior deeds until someone (usually an adult) points it out to them.

CORRESPOND AS PEN PALS

DR. WALLACE: When I was in sixth grade (four years ago) I had a really good friend who happened to be a boy. My family moved away, so we haven't seen each other since then. Recently my family and I returned to this town to visit friends, and I decided to call him. Although we didn't get a chance to see each other, I talked to him on the phone every day for the week that we were there. Sometimes he would call me two or three times during the day and I was always glad to hear his voice. It was fun to catch up on each other's lives since sixth grade.

Now that I'm back home, I have this feeling that I really like him even though I can only guess what he looks like. What should I do? He lives 100 miles from me. — Alyson, Seymour, Ind.

ALYSON: Continue to correspond as pen pals. Send him a recent photo of yourself and ask that he send one to you. Don't mention that you have this "feeling" for him, but suggest that it would be fun to see him again next time your family visits. Don't be surprised if he makes arrangements to visit you in Seymour.

SECONDHAND SMOKE CAN KILL

DR. WALLACE: Both of my parents smoke in the house, and my two younger brothers and I are constantly breathing secondhand smoke. I know that it is dangerous to breathe it, but I can't get my parents to quit smoking or at least go outdoors when they smoke. Maybe if they see my letter in your column, they will do something about the smoke in our home. — Nameless, St. Charles, Ill.

PARENTS: Every year in America, an estimated 3,000 non-smokers die from lung cancer caused by "secondhand" tobacco smoke. If you breathe it regularly, you're probably at risk. "'Nuff said."

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.