DR. WALLACE: A girl and I have been best friends since we were in kindergarten together. We are both 17 now. In the past four months, she has had a baby and has married the baby's father. My mom doesn't want me to be best friends with this girl any more. In fact, she doesn't even want me to see her at all. I don't think I will be able to do this because I really like her and she is still my best friend.

I think that best friends stay together and don't stop being friends just because one gets married and has a baby. Your opinion will be appreciated. — Sunny, Virginia Beach, Va.

SUNNY: I agree that best friends should stay together through thick and thin and I see no good reason for you to end your relationship with your best friend.

However, you should realize that your friend will have far less time for you these days. Her prime responsibilities will be ensuring the health and welfare of her child and building a strong marriage.

While it's important for you to stay in touch with your best friend, this is also a good time to reach out and make some new friends.

I'M NOT A FAN OF MY FATHER

DR. WALLACE: My parents are divorced and I live with my mother. Once a month I spend a weekend (by court order) with my father and his wife. I literally despise my father and all he stands for. He is a despicable human being.

I'm 17 and when I turn 18 his child support ends and so do my monthly visits to him. My mother is a wonderful lady. She encourages me to have a good relationship with my father. She wants me to continue having personal contact with him after I turn 18. I say, "No Way!" Still, I would like your opinion. — Loretta, Detroit, Mich.

LORETTA: You didn't provide me any details about why you feel as you do about your father, but certainly if you find him despicable you would be justified in breaking off contact.

Perhaps at some point you'll be able to forgive him. If that occurs, you may want to consider cautiously letting him back into your life.

I HAVE PERFECT PARENTS

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 years old and never miss reading your column. I notice that many of your letters are from teenagers who have problems with their parents. This seems such a shame, and hearing about their complaints, has motivated me to write about my own parents. I'm not writing to complain, but to give praise where praise is due.

I appreciate and love both of my parents with all of my heart. They are absolutely the perfect parents. My father is an excellent provider for our family of five, and my mother is a great homemaker.

Together, they constantly share their love with us kids. They have set down rules and regulations, but we kids were asked our opinions first, and we all abide by them because they are fair.

They expect good grades, but do not put pressure on us. They allow us to pick our friends and they welcome them into our home regardless of their background.

We have our spats, but they are quickly solved and then forgotten.

I love you, Mom and Dad, and I hope someday to repay you for all the wonderful things you have done for your children. — Nameless, Lake Charles, La.

NAMELESS: Great parents all have two things in common — wisdom, and the ability to make their children know that they are loved!

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.

Photo credit: Donnie Ray Jones