DR. WALLACE: I'm a Scorpio, and so is my wonderful boyfriend. We have been together for three years and have been discussing the possibility of becoming husband and wife after our college days are over. I'm 19 now and have a few years left to get my degree. My mother died when I was an infant, so my mother's mother raised me. I love my grandmother very much. Actually, I call her "Mom," and not "Grandma", and I call my grandfather "Dad."

My "mom" and "dad" like my boyfriend a lot and think he will make a good husband, except my mom is concerned that we were born under the same astrological sign. She thinks those born under the same signs are not compatible and that most of these marriages are "rocky" at best because the husband and wife are too much alike and tend to get on each other's nerves. I think each individual is unique, and it does not matter that we just so happen to have the same sign. Is this an old wives' tale, or should I actually take this seriously? — Signed Up for Marriage, via email

SIGNED UP FOR MARRIAGE: My wife and I met in college. We are both Aries, and our birthdays are only three days apart in April. We have much in common, yet we also have many different interests. I enjoy the great outdoors, fishing and sports, while my wife enjoys quilting, collecting antiques, studying family ancestry and learning new languages. I can honestly say that our marriage has never been "rocky," and I sincerely doubt it ever will be.

My advice, all things being equal at the time you graduate college, is to marry your guy and live happily ever after. Being born under the same sign has nothing to do with the way your marriage will or will not turn out. Love, trust, compassion and respect will have everything to do with it!

THE SUN'S RAYS ARE HARMFUL

DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 and love to go to the beach and the ocean. My parents are afraid I'll get sunburned and eventually wind up with wrinkled skin or, worse, skin cancer.

I use sunscreen when I lay out on a towel at the beach, and when I'm right out of the water, I have an umbrella I sit under until I apply more. Do you think this is enough protection for me to be allowed to go to the beach this summer? — Suntan Lover, via email

SUNTAN LOVER: Wearing a wide-brimmed hat and lightweight shirt and pants will provide you extra protection, even if you're under a beach umbrella. Never forget the sun is very powerful and can cause skin damage even on a cloudy day. The sun's ultraviolet rays are so potent that they have no trouble penetrating a beach umbrella. Be sure to lather up with sunscreen again and again after coming out of the water.

If you follow these precautions, your parents should feel confident you will not get burned. There is truth in the old time saying that a person has a "healthy tan"!

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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