DR. WALLACE: It has been about a month since my boyfriend and I broke up. We haven't seen each other many times and have kept a lot of space between us in our communication since we've parted.

The problem is, though, that in the next few weeks I am going to have to see him at some different events that were scheduled long ago, and I'm not looking forward to this at all. I am extremely anxious about seeing him again and do not want his presence to ruin my experiences at these events.

I feel so nervous knowing that later this month I'll see him for the first time since the breakup. I do not know what to do with these feelings. How can I make the first time seeing him again go smoothly and not be so nervous? — Not looking forward to it, via email

NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO IT: Plan to say a brief hello to him and to wish him well, and then make yourself scarce from there. If you approach him very briefly first and say a casual hello, it will help to diffuse the tension over the duration of the event.

You'll also have the power of knowing that you have a plan to address the situation proactively. A quick hello followed by saying something like, "It's nice to see you, I hope you're doing well these days," followed by a quick "take care" should do just this. You can then pivot and go back to who you were speaking with before you approached him, and then don't make any further contact with him during the event.

It's better not to stay silent and fret or worry about what to do. Staying silent and avoiding eye contact with him for the duration of the event will only heighten your anxiety.

Hopefully, approaching him briefly, early on at the event, extending a quick greeting, followed by a smile and brisk walk away from him will cut the tension you feel. This will then make you feel good that you had a plan and followed it through to address your concerns head on. This way, if and when you ever see him again at a similar event or even a chance meeting, you'll both have a comfortable way to make quick, polite small talk for 20 seconds and then move on without any drama, external or internal.

MY DOG IS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST!

DR. WALLACE: I'm 14, and my sister is 13. We both asked for pets during the pandemic so we could have some extra company since we couldn't go out to see our friends.

Well, I got a dog, and my sister chose a cat. My parents make us do chores to earn our allowance, and then we have to pay for our pets out of our allowances. By pay, I mean buy food and pay for any other expenses that our pets require, such as collars and toys. Besides our allowances, we are also allowed to do some yardwork for our elderly neighbors next door who pay us a very fair rate for mowing, raking, cleaning, sweeping and generally keeping their yard and driveway clean all year round. They are great neighbors who are very friendly and they even like my dog.

But I feel my dog is being discriminated against since he has to have a leash and a pet license, but my sister's cat does not have to have a leash, and she does not even have to pay for a pet license in our county either. It's totally not fair!

Why does her aloof cat get these privileges over my loyal and loving dog? — Teen dog owner, via email

TEEN DOG OWNER: It might sound crazy to you, but most municipalities don't require licenses for cats because they are considered to be "wild animals!" Dogs are considered to be domesticated animals and therefore are licensed.

I agree that a type of double standard exists here. Just because there are some feral cats running around in the wild does not mean your sister's cat is not a type of at least "semi-domestic" pet.

Since there are millions of pet owners of both dogs and cats in our country, I'd be interested to hear the opinions of our readers on this issue. Let us know if you feel cats should have to have pet licenses, just as dogs do. I'll follow up with the results of this informal survey at the end of the summer.

In any case, you're not likely to see many cats walking around your neighborhood on a leash these days!

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.

Photo credit: Websi at Pixabay