DR. WALLACE: What can I do to help my mother? Lately, she thinks she has become a teenager again. She now dresses in the latest teen fashions, and uses the latest teen talk.

Whenever my friends come over to the house, mom immediately joins into the conversation, even to the point of discussing cute boys.

My friends haven't said anything to me about her, but I feel they are laughing behind her back. My mother was never married to my father, and the guy she had been dating for over two years broke up with her a couple of months ago.

Since her parents are very wealthy and own several homes, she has never had to work because they take care of all her finances and we live in one of their lovely houses. I know I am very lucky to have all my needs met and enjoy a very nice life style. I love my mom and I know she loves me, but she acts more like my sister than like my mom. I truly would prefer she acted more like a parent. Help! — Nameless, Hobart, Ind.

NAMELESS: Your mother seems to have reached a point in her life when she is temporarily unchallenged and extremely bored with her own life style. She loves you a lot and admires you and your life style, so she has decided to participate and share in your life. Usually this unusual behavior by mothers of teens is short-lived.

Be understanding and, above all else, don't be openly critical of her. The fact that your friends haven't said anything about your mom's "teen" behavior probably means that they don't consider this to be negative behavior for a parent.

Simply enjoy your mother as she is and wait for this stage to pass. It will.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN POPULAR

DR. WALLACE: My father is in the military and we have moved many times and each time I had to change schools. I am very shy and it is very difficult for me to make new friends. I will be entering my first year in high school in a new community and I dread having to make new friends all over again. What advice can you give me to help me adjust? I have never been popular. - Sara, San Diego, Calif.

SARA: High school will be the most exciting of your school days, and there will be other new students attending high school for the very first time. Above all, keep a smile on your face. As the poet Robert Frost once wrote, "One smile is more powerful than a thousand words." Most high schools offer a wide selection of extra-curricular programs. You should join some of the many clubs on campus that suit your interests and I'm sure you will meet others who have similar interests.

Try to attend as many school activities as your time and studies allow. It's a good idea to also encourage your parents to be actively involved with parent groups and before you know it, you and your family will have many new friends and be enjoying the beautiful city of San Diego, California!

'MOTHER'S DELIGHT' ADDS EXTRA WEIGHT

DR. WALLACE: We have a family rule that everyone in the family must eat one helping of everything mother cooks for dinner. Usually, this is no problem, but lately mom has been cooking these weird vegetables in her secret sauce.

This evening I was forced to eat a helping of "Mother's Delight" — eggplant cooked in buttermilk, topped with whipped mayonnaise. I'm trying to eat properly and not add extra pounds and "Mother's Delight" was loaded with calories and the taste was terrible. I don't mind tasting her "delights" but if I don't like the taste, I shouldn't be forced to eat it. Do you agree? — Rosa, Miami, Fla.

ROSA: I agree with you 100 percent. I give you 100 percent credit for finishing mom's "delight" because I can honestly say that I wouldn't even have tasted it!

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.