DR. WALLACE: I don't know why you are so against long-distance romances between teens. Is it that you think we are too immature to have them succeed? My boyfriend and I are both 16 and we are in love and truly believe that we will marry in a few years.

Mario and his family recently moved back to Acapulco because his family needed his father to work on the family ranch. We promised each other before he left that we would be faithful to one another until we could be together again. We know it could be five months or five years, but we are willing to wait faithfully because we dearly love each other.

I always get upset when you tell young people to break up when distance is the only flaw in their relationship. Haven't you ever read "Romeo and Juliet," the world's greatest love story? I suggest you read it.

It has been nearly five months now and we have kept our vow. Next time you think about advising teens to break up because of a possible long separation, please think of me and know that I am proof that it can work and our love is growing stronger. In fact, we love each other more now than we did when we were seeing each other every day.

I do enjoy your column most of the time, but I had to let you know that things can work out and that this is the case with Mario and me. — Kate, Lincoln, Nebr.

KATE: I'm not against long-distance relationships where a couple is firmly committed to staying together despite separation, I'm all for it. As a rule, however, these teens don't write because they know what they want. They write because they are not sure!

When I discourage such a relationship, it's because the teen writing to me (usually the girl) simply isn't sure this is what she wants. In such cases, I talk realistically about the difficulty of long-distance romance and usually advise her to continue corresponding with her boyfriend and to see him whenever possible, but not to sit at home every night wondering what he's doing.

I encourage both members of the relationship to stay active socially, and that means dating others. Dating others doesn't mean that they care less for each other. It just means they can enjoy the company of good friends. If a new romance blossoms because of this, it only means the original romance wasn't really that solid.

I do know the story of Romeo and Juliet. It is one of literature's great love stories — and great tragedies — and was among my favorite Shakespearean plays when I taught English Literature some years ago. Have you read this story? The fate of the title characters is not one I would wish on any young lovers. Their love may have survived separation and many other obstacles, but they themselves didn't. I hope your love story will have a far happier ending!

YOU ARE A WISE TEEN!

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 13-year-old girl and I need you to answer my question. The kids at our school think a person is either "cool" or "a geek." Cool people make fun of geeks. I'm not one, and do not want to be a "cool" person. Does that mean that I'm a geek? — Nameless, Cedar Lake, Ind.

NAMELESS: No! It merely means that you are a wise teen who doesn't choose to make fun of others.

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.

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