DR. WALLACE: I'm turning 18 in three weeks. My friends told me that I will be considered an adult on my 18th birthday and can legally move out of my house if I want to.

I need to know if this is true and if I'm legally able to leave my parents' house when I turn 18. My mother said I can't because I'm still a minor until I reach age 21. My boyfriend and I want to get married and move into an apartment as soon as I find out. He is 19 and still lives with his parents. I'll be in 12th grade this fall and plan to finish high school and graduate even though I will be married.

Can you tell me the true facts? — Nameless, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

NAMELESS: The legal term for being considered an adult is the "age of majority." This is a time when a person is no longer considered a minor, and becomes responsible for his/her actions. Originally, the age of majority was set at 21, but when Congress granted 18-year-olds the right to vote in federal elections, all states lowered their age of majority to 18. At the age of majority, minors acquire the right to:

1. Enter into binding contracts.

2. Buy or sell property, including real estate and stock.

3. Marry without the written consent of a parent or guardian and a judge

4. Sue or be sued in his or her own name (except in a personal injury lawsuit).

5. Compromise, settle or arbitrate a claim.

6. Make or revoke a will.

7. Inherit property outright.

8. Vote in state, local and federal elections.

9. Consent to all types of medical treatments.

10. Join the military without parental consent.

Once a minor reaches the age of majority it still doesn't grant all adult (age 21) privileges. All 50 states and the District of Columbia ban the purchase or consumption of alcohol until the age of 21.

I would be remiss if I didn't encourage you to stay at home and graduate from high school. You can count the time left in high school in weeks now rather than months. You are so near a diploma; don't allow anything to deter you from getting it because you will have earned it!

USE BOTTLED WATER FOR ICE

DR. WALLACE: I will be going to Mexico City this summer for a month to be immersed in the Spanish language. Arrangements have been made for me to live with a family of the same religion as my family, and I'm really excited about the trip.

I have been advised not to drink tap water to avoid any bacteria that might be found in Mexican tap water. I plan to drink only bottled water, but I need to know if freezing water kills the bacteria and if ice cubes are safe? — Mindy, Chicago, Ill.

MINDY: Avoid ice made from tap water. Enough bacteria can survive to cause diarrhea. Using bottled water only, both for drinking and for ice cubes, is advised while visiting Mexico. If you order a soft drink in a restaurant, request "No ice"!

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.