DR. WALLACE: I'm the oldest of three daughters in my family. I have always been a good student and citizen, and a good daughter to my mom who is divorced and raising us on her own. My two younger sisters keep calling me "Mama's girl" and it is very annoying to me. I'm sure they are jealous of me because I have earned excellent grades in school and have plans to attend the University of West Virginia when I graduate. They do only what's necessary to get by at school and they don't seem to have the desire or the grades to attend college.

Our mother is a wonderful mother and I have always done my best to help her around the house and also with my sisters when they were little. Neither one volunteers to help around the house, and they both smoke behind my mother's back. I also suspect that they have tried alcohol. I have never smoked and never will, and alcohol holds no interest for me. I also do not nag my sisters, but I need your help to get my sisters to stop calling me "Mama's girl." How can I handle this? — Nameless, Wheeling, W.Va.

NAMELESS: Taunts are only effective if they bring a negative reaction. The next time your sisters taunt you, simply smile, and say nothing! Since smiling is a positive reaction, your sisters won't know how to handle the situation and they will soon stop taunting. Try this. It works!

MOST UNWED MOTHERS KEEP THEIR BABIES

DR. WALLACE: I know that this is a most unusual letter, but I had to write to you. I'm 19 and pregnant and will have my baby in a couple of months. Marriage to the father is impossible because he was married when I was dating him and he has now chosen not to get a divorce. He also has three other daughters.

Can you tell me what percentage of unwed mothers decide to have their babies instead of having abortions? Also, what percentage of all unwed mothers decide to keep their babies instead of giving up their babies to adoptive parents? — Nameless, Toledo, Ohio.

NAMELESS: According to a U.S. Census report, about 80 percent of unwed mothers decide to keep their babies.

DUMP THIS LOSER IMMEDIATELY

DR. WALLACE: I've been dating this guy for over four months. We had great times at first, but lately he has been calling me crude names and threatening to "kick my tail" if I don't agree with him. He sometimes grabs me hard and slaps me on the arm several times, but he has never hit me with his fist. I do like him and usually he apologizes after his outbreak and says, "You know I'd never really hit you."

I do think he cares for me and I don't think he would ever really hit me, but I do wish he'd be more of a gentleman. His sister has told me that he's always had a big mouth and that "his bark is worse than his bite."

I'm 19 and my parents are strict and have only allowed me to go out with guys since I was 18, so I don't have a lot of dating experience. What advice can you give me about the situation? I'd really appreciate it. — Nameless, Porterville, Calif.

NAMELESS: The guy is a loser, and the sooner you dump him, the better. Guys who grab their girlfriends hard and slap them around are useless creatures who belong on a lonely island without females.

You don't need a lot of experience with guys to know that he is not a nice person. You will do better with Guy No. 2.

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.