DR. WALLACE: As a girl who is 16 and a half, I've been dating now for about six months since my parents allowed me to go on my first date right after my 16th birthday.

I've dated various guys, but I haven't had any good connections yet, but my current guy friend might have potential. We've been on three dates, and I'm considering continuing to go out with him, but there are a few things that kind of frustrate me about how he acts.

Whenever I make a suggestion to him about something he's doing or about to do, before the words are completely out of my mouth, he immediately interrupts me to say, "You're one to talk!" This obviously means he is criticizing me, so when I ask him what he's talking about, he will always say that it would be "ungentlemanly" for him to go into any more detail!

The other thing I don't like is that whenever we are out together, he will sometimes hold the door open for me or open a car door, or if we're at the mall, he will want us to go to a particular store as we're walking along. All of that is fine, if it wasn't for his hand gestures! Every single time when he holds the door open, he'll take one of his hands and wave it sideways like he's indicating for me to walk or hurry up getting through the door. He does this getting in and out of the car, and if we're walking in the mall, he'll just wave his hand right in front of me like I'm expected to know to turn right and go into a store! He will actually make the turn first, and I'll have to take two or three more steps and then look back, and the whole time he's still doing these wild hand gestures like he's showing me to walk into the store! This literally drives me crazy! I find it demeaning and overbearing, but when I say this to him, he just laughs and says, "Come on, you know it's no big deal."

Should I overlook these things because I guess he's been the best out of the four guys I've dated so far, or are these really frustrating situations indicators that maybe we're not a good match? — His Actions Make Me Really Mad, via email

HIS ACTIONS MAKE ME REALLY MAD: You are at the very, very early stages of your dating career! If this is literally the fourth guy that you've dated, I highly recommend you try door No. 5 soon.

If the two of you after three dates are already frustrated with each other, that's a good indicator that you should chalk this one up to experience and plan to move along.

Dating at your age should be all about camaraderie, mutual interests, having fun and respecting and enjoying each other's company. To already have such high levels of frustration arise indicates that this may not be a good match for either of you for a longer duration.

MY BIG SISTER IS QUITE CRITICAL OF MY CLOTHES

DR. WALLACE: My older sister is 18 and very popular. I'm a girl who's 14, and I have a few good friends, but I'm pretty quiet.

The other day, my sister made a scrunched-up face at me when she came home and looked at what I was wearing. She literally said to me that anyone could dress better than I could! She went on to say that I had really bad taste and that no girl should ever be seen in a pea-colored top, ever!

She immediately told me that she wanted to take me shopping and help me get some better clothes. I was kind of upset at what she said, but since she has a good part-time job and already has a car, I thought she was offering to take me shopping to buy me one or two pieces of reasonably priced garments.

We did indeed go to some local stores at our local mall, and she found a couple of tops that she thought would look much better on me. She had me try one of them on, and she approved. Then when we walked over to the cash register, she asked me if I brought my allowance with me! I didn't have any money, and I've barely saved up enough to buy these garments anyhow. I was too embarrassed to tell her that I thought she was going to buy it for me. That's the reason I went with her in the first place.

Now she keeps pestering me, asking me when I'm going to finally buy some decent clothes! What do I do now? — A Scolded Little Sister, via email

A SCOLDED LITTLE SISTER: You have two options, if you do want that particular garment. You could save up your allowance or even ask your parents if you can do extra chores because you would like to buy something that your sister showed you at a local store. This applies only if you truly did like the garment your sister selected. If you really thought it was nothing special, then I wouldn't do anything and wouldn't worry about it.

You can also wait until your mother or father takes you on the next shopping trip for clothing and make some decisions about what you would like to buy, blending your own personal choices with what your parents suggest or your friends may like, and perhaps even use your older sister's input. But don't feel that you need to follow your older sister's advice explicitly! You are your own person and can wear what you want, how you want, as long as you do so within the boundaries of decency.

At 18, it probably won't be too long until your sister moves on either to college or an apartment of her own. When that happens, you won't be subject to her inappropriate "wardrobe-shaming" comments.

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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