DR. WALLACE: I'm 15 and so is my boyfriend. I haven't seen him in over a week because he has a bad case of the flu. Before he got sick, we saw each other every day and things were great. Ever since he has been confined to his house he has been real mean. We talk to each other on the telephone every day and all he wants to do is argue.

Last night he called me a nag and hung up on me. I felt so bad that I cried myself to sleep. I'm thinking of calling him and ending our relationship. What do you think I should do? — Nameless, Leigha, Indianapolis, Ind.

LEIGHA: I think your boyfriend is just unhappy, uncomfortable and irritable, all due to the fact that he is housebound because of his illness.

If he still acts like a "monster" after he recuperates from the flu, then you might consider ending the relationship. Wait and see what happens.

MOM'S RIGHT, LET HIM GO

DR. WALLACE: My ex-boyfriend and I are both 19 and went together for about a year. I liked him very much, and I thought he felt the same about me. I thought wrong. A month ago, he called me and said we wouldn't be seeing each other any more because he had lost interest in me and wanted to date around.

Then a few days ago I discovered that he's been going out with a girl who has a very bad reputation. I was totally shocked to learn this because he seemed very religious. This news also surprised me because he was always a perfect gentleman when we were dating.

I still care for him as a friend, and I hate to see him ruin his life and get a bad reputation. Do you think I should try to win him back? My mom thinks I should just get on with my life and stop thinking about him. What do you think? — Troubled, Reno, Nev.

TROUBLED: Your mother is right. Just let him go, and above all, don't fret about the situation. The hardest part about breaking up is withdrawing your emotional investment in the other person. You need to focus on your own life again and worry about your own social life, not your ex's.

GRANDMA TOLD ME NOT TO BE A TATTLETALE

DR. WALLACE: You told a 16-year-old girl to tell her parents that she knows for sure that her 17-year-old brother is smoking pot because she saw him and his friend smoking it at a party. That's terrible advice.

First of all, smoking pot is no big deal, and second, finking is a terrible thing to do. Nobody likes a snitch. When I was young, my grandmother always told me to never be a tattletale and she was a very wise lady.

Please change your mind and amend your response to anyone else who asks you if he or she should rat on a friend or sibling. — Jordan, Des Moines, Iowa.

JORDAN: You are a confused young man. First, you must be aware that smoking pot is illegal — and that makes it a big deal. Furthermore, marijuana can be a gateway drug. Most users of more potent drugs, including cocaine and heroin, advanced to these destructive drugs after first smoking pot. This doesn't mean all users of marijuana wind up using cocaine or heroin, but why have your brother risk temptation when the consequences are so terrible?

When the girl told her parents about her brother's marijuana use, she was doing him a favor. I'm sure your grandmother was a wise lady, but had one of her children been using drugs, or otherwise endangering himself or herself, she would have deeply appreciated being told about it. This is showing loving concern and maybe saving a young life.

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.