DR. WALLACE: I'm 33 and a single mother of a 16-year-old daughter. I have never been married, but I have been able to raise my daughter without anyone's help. My daughter and I have had some difficult times when it came to her obeying my rules about chores, curfew, grades, etc. She seems to think she is mature enough to make all of her own decisions.

When she gets upset with me for enforcing the rules I set, she threatens to run away from home and search for her father. The last known address for him was in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. I'm sure he is the same creep now that he was when Rosa was born and if, miraculously, she did find him, he wouldn't help her.

Several years ago you wrote a column about two girls who ran away from home, and by the grace of God, escaped death. Please print that column again. I want my daughter to read it. She does read your column. Thanks for caring about teens! - Mother, Yuma, Ariz.

MOTHER: The column you requested was written some time ago, but the message is still loud and clear!

RUNNING AWAY IS NEVER THE SOLUTION

TEENS: It was tucked near the bottom of page one, part two, of the morning newspaper, by my eye was drawn to the small headline, "Runaway Nearly Slain."

The opening line was cold, hard and brutal: "A 15-year-old runaway from home survived an execution-style shooting after she and another runaway were raped by two young men who had picked them up and had promised to drive them home."

Instead, the men took the girls to a secluded part of a park and raped them, the article stated, then forced the older teen to kneel with her hands clasped behind her head and shot her twice. By the grace of God, she escaped death when the bullets deflected off her hands.

Authorities said that the younger runaway girl, 14, was also going to be shot, but she escaped and contacted officials. The men were found and arrested.

What a heart-wrenching drama. I'm so happy the girls survived this gruesome ordeal, but horrified that it ever took place.

Teens, no matter how bleak things seem, they become a lot worse when you become a runaway.

Do everything in your power to work out family problems — at home, not on the run. A certain number of very sick people prey on teenage runaways. If the thought of running away ever crosses your mind, please reflect back to this column. Running away is never the solution! NEVER!

DRINKING EIGHT GLASSES OF WATER DAILY IS HEALTHY HABIT

DR. WALLACE: I've been told that teens should drink about eight glasses of water a day to help keep extra pounds off. Is this true and, if so, why? I am always on guard so I won't put on extra weight. — Nicole, Elizabethtown, Ky.

NICOLE: Drinking eight glasses of water a day is a healthy habit for everyone. When it comes to weight control, water serves to suppress the appetite. It also helps flush impurities from your body and helps keep the digestive system in working order.

Dr. 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: Dee Ashley