DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and do a lot of babysitting in my area, especially during the summertime. I have some really good clients, and I love the kids I work with.

But during one of my shifts for one family in particular, a pretty young family with two children under 5 years of age, a strange thing happened.

Another guy who I know to be a "fishing buddy" of the husband came by and knocked on the door at about 7 p.m. while the husband and wife were out to dinner. This fishing buddy said he left something in the house, and he went into the back bedrooms, even the master bedroom. I could hear him rummaging around in there, and he was making kind of a lot of noise. He seemed to be in there for almost 10 minutes.

Finally, he told me that he must've left what he was looking for somewhere else, and he asked me not to say anything to his friend or the friend's wife. I was so shocked that I didn't answer him, and he simply went out the front door and closed it behind him. At the time he came by it was still light outside, so it wasn't like he came in the dark of the night, but it was still beyond weird and awkward.

I didn't say anything the next day, but the day after that, I did mention this to my mother. She told me I immediately need to tell this family what happened. I'm nervous about doing this, so I thought I would send you a quick email to get your opinion if possible. Should I say anything about this or just ignore it completely? — It Was Bizarre, via email

IT WAS BIZARRE: I agree completely with your mother here. She's right, you need to immediately contact that family and tell them exactly what happened in complete detail. Your job is to take care of the children in the home, and anything that interrupts you taking care of the children by yourself should be reported in the future to any of your babysitting parents as soon as they come home, and if you have their cellphone number, in a case like the one you just experienced, it would've been appropriate to call them immediately.

Nobody, not even a family friend, should ever be allowed to come into a family home unannounced during one of your babysitting shifts. Please remember this and make it part of your future methods of protecting any home you are working in.

MY UNCLE KEEPS TRYING TO DIAGNOSE ME

DR. WALLACE: My uncle on my mother's side always gets me really upset. I'm a teenage girl and I know that I could stand to lose a few pounds here and there, and I probably don't eat and drink 100% healthy food all the time.

I do exercise and eat pretty good food most of the time, but I do like a few of my indulgences here and there. My problem is that whenever this particular uncle visits our house, he always starts sizing me up and asking me questions like I'm a patient in his doctor's office. He starts asking me about my weight, my stamina, what kind of nutrition I'm taking in and if I ever get dizzy, for example.

To me this seems like an invasion of privacy, and frankly, I find it a bit creepy. I mentioned this to my mother once, and she laughed it off and said he was simply trying to help and that sometimes he can't "turn off his doctor's mode" so easily.

I haven't said anything to my father yet, but obviously my mother is not going to put an end to this harassment. I only end up seeing this uncle maybe once every other month, but he does this every single time he's in town. Should I mention what's been going on to my father? — Fed Up With This Situation, via email

FED UP WITH THIS SITUATION: Absolutely you should say something to your father. Simply tell him that it makes you feel extremely uncomfortable, and although you have respect for all your family members, you don't appreciate unwarranted and unwelcome casual discussions about your health simply because his profession happens to be that of a medical doctor.

I trust your father will be able to diplomatically explain things to his brother-in-law so that you won't have to face these inquisitions any further. Your mother likely looks at him as her brother and dismisses his overzealous nature for that reason.

Hopefully, he's a good doctor and a good person who is simply a little too forward when it comes to doling out medical advice in inappropriate settings and situations. If that's the case, your father can remedy the situation well.

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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