DR. WALLACE: I just graduated from high school and found an excellent summer job that I really enjoy. I start college in the fall, and since the campus is only a half-hour from my high school, I plan to live at home for at least the first year or two to build up some savings before I move out of my parents' house.

Although I've only been at this job for a month, the manager seems to think I'm doing great work, and I'm going to be promoted in the middle of August to take on more responsibilities and even more hours. I think this is great because I'll be able to earn more money and build my savings at a much faster pace. They also plan to let me work some weekend hours at this job once I go to college. The problem I've run into, however, is that my parents just announced they're planning to take a trip to Ireland in three weeks and my sister and I have been invited to go with them. I'd really like to go since my grandparents on my father's side were both born on that island, and I understand we have many relatives that we could visit and even stay with for a night or two. My father travels a lot internationally for his job, so he got all four of us our passports years ago so that we could all travel overseas even with short notice. Now the time for international travel has arrived for my sister and me.

I also have a big dilemma because I would need to take 10 days off work to go on this trip and I fear that I'll lose my promotion, my extra hours and all of the momentum I've built up so far. I could try to call in sick during this time, but I'm not the type of person that makes up stories or deceives people. One of my friends is suggesting I do that, but deep down I know I won't call in sick. So, my question to you is, should I pass on the Ireland trip entirely so that I can stay and work or should I just go on the trip and if it costs me my job, so be it? — Ireland Trip Versus Good Job, via email

IRELAND TRIP VERSUS GOOD JOB: If I were in your shoes at your age, I would go on the Ireland trip! This is a great opportunity for you to see this beautiful country, meet some of your relatives and do so at your father's expense, since he is setting the trip up for all of your family together. Yes, later in life you could always try to visit Ireland yourself, but life gets very busy and international travel can be expensive, so you never know when you might get this opportunity again.

As for your job, I would take comfort in knowing that there is a worker shortage currently in the United States and many companies desperately need good workers to fill job openings in many industries. Recently hourly wages have increased due to the imbalance of supply and demand. This creates a beneficial employment environment for you.

So, with your current job, I suggest that you immediately meet with your supervisor or manager and let this person know the full truth. Explain that you love the job, you'd really like to come back and work hard for the balance of the summer upon your return and that you'd like to continue working some part-time hours on weekends once you go back to college in the fall. Your chances should be good to stay on board even part time. And if they can't or won't retain you for any reason, then you can immediately restart your job search elsewhere. I trust you'll be able to find good work soon and restart building up your savings quickly.

IS IGNORANCE REALLY BLISS?

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 17-year-old girl who lives with a single-parent mother and my grandmother in a condo in a nice suburb of a big city. We three ladies have a good life together, and we all get along really well.

However, my grandmother often offers her unsolicited advice about a variety of topics. I'm always polite and respectful, so I listen to her and never complain about her injecting her opinions into my life. Part of the reason I do this is that she sometimes is indeed quite correct about things. In other cases, she may be wrong, but she's usually wrong because the world has changed, not because her logic was poor.

Many times over the years, she has used the phrase "ignorance is bliss" when she speaks to me or my mom about something. I always thought being ignorant was not too good a thing, but I've never brought that up to grandma because I don't want to upset her. I could ask my mom, but I'd rather leave her out of it because it might sound to my mom like I'm complaining about grandma, which I'm not. I just want to know what the heck grandma keeps riffing about with this phrase. Why does grandma say this so often and what does she mean by it? — Need a Translator, via email

NEED A TRANSLATOR: Since I am likely to be closer to your grandmother's age than to yours, I'll do my best to fill you in. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" over the years has been used to basically mean "what you don't know won't bother you." It's not necessarily referring to the literal meaning of a person being ignorant, but rather implies a person being uninformed or unaware of an event or a situation that might have upset them had they been aware of it.

The "bliss" part of the saying refers to what I can best describe as "what you don't know won't upset you," meaning your mind remains calm and unengaged about the topic or situation, so therefore you remain "blissful" due to your lack of awareness. In conclusion, the phrase "ignorance is bliss" means you're not upset or drawn into something you don't even know about! And if your grandma is using it in proper contexts or situations, she might even be right about most of them.

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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