DR. WALLACE: I'm 14 and live with my father, stepmother, and a 15-year-old stepsister. My dad married my stepmother 10 months ago. Until then, my dad and I lived alone together. My real mom died when I was an infant. My dad disciplines me and my stepmother disciplines my stepsister. My dad is very strict. If I step out of line even a slight bit, I'm restricted to my room and grounded for a week or more.

My stepmother is not a strict disciplinarian. My stepsister can talk back, forget her chores and even swear and all she gets is a scolding. If I did that, I'd be grounded for two months. Since we all live in the same house, I think we should all have the same disciplinary rules. Do you agree? — Zack, Newport, R.I.

ZACK: Once your stepmother married your father, the four of you became a family, and in a family, the disciplinary rules for children should be the same for all. And when rules are broken, the punishment should be uniform for all of the children.

BROWN AND BLUE EYES HAVE EQUAL STRENGTH

DR. WALLACE: My mom has blue eyes and my dad has brown eyes and yet my brother and I have blue eyes and my sister has brown eyes.

I was taught in science that brown eyes are dominant. If that's true, why do two out of three children of our parents have blue eyes? Are brown eyes stronger than blue eyes? — Tammy, Erie, Pa.

TAMMY: Brown eyes are dominant, but it is not unusual for siblings of brown and blue-eyed parents to have more blue eyed members than brown. It's also possible for parents with the same eye color to have children with the opposite. That's possible because of grandparents, great grandparents, or great, great grandparents. One set had to be blue-eyed and the other brown-eyed.

I'll give you an example of brown being dominant. If a couple (one brown, one blue-eyed) had 13 children, the odds are the majority of the children would have brown eyes. It all depends on the odds.

Brown eyes and blue eyes have equal strength.

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDSHIP IS ALL ABOUT

DR. WALLACE: My best friend has been going steady with a guy for over six months. It has been a rocky relationship to say the least. Every time she has a major problem with him, she cries on my shoulder. Already they have split up three times.

Yesterday was the third time and I'm getting tired of her sob stories. She always asks for my advice, but she rarely takes it. Help! — Sissy, Ames, Iowa.

SISSY: You are very important to your friend. Even though she doesn't always take your advice, she needs to use you as a "sounding board." Make sure you make her feel she can always come to you when something troubles her. That's what friendship is all about.

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.

Photo credit: Trish Hamme