DR. WALLACE: I'm 18 and recently graduated from high school. I live at home with a divorced mother and my older unwed sister and her two children. Her boyfriend split to Mexico six months ago and hasn't been heard from since.

Lately, my mom has started getting on my case because she doesn't like the way I dress. I've been dressing this way for over a year and she said nothing. Now, all of a sudden, it's a big deal to her. It all started because my grandmother came for my graduation and stayed with us for a week. When she left, she said I dressed like a tramp! Let me tell you how I dress. I wear hip-hugger jeans and cropped shirts, which allow me to show my belly button.

I told my mom that I was old enough to wear whatever I wanted to and there was nothing she could do about it. Actually, I don't really dress in poor taste. I have a great figure and bare midriffs are in vogue. My sister is on my side and has told our mother that she and our grandmother are old-fashioned. This made my mother cry.

Now I feel like a criminal and all I've done is dress the same way I've always dressed. It's no fun to be compared to a tramp. I'm really thinking about moving out of our house and going to live with a friend just so I can dress the way I want to. Do you think this is a good idea? — Maria, Nogales, Ariz.

MARIA: It's too late for Mom to press this issue. You're old enough to dress any way you want to. However, I'd advise you to stay at home and work things out with your mom. This problem does not seem insurmountable, and her tears indicate how much she cares for you. Bare midriffs are in vogue for young ladies, but a modest amount of uncovered skin is considered "acceptable." I'm sure you are in the "acceptable" category.

I REALLY PIGGED OUT THIS SUMMER!

DR. WALLACE: I weighed 117 pounds when school let out in June, but I really "pigged out" this summer and now I'm at least 15 pounds overweight! I looked so awful that I even stopped going to the beach before the end of summer. Now I'm a 132-pound "fatso," and I dread having to go to school this way!

I read in a teen magazine that I could lose about four pounds a week by eating half a grapefruit before each meal, (breakfast, lunch and dinner.) Grapefruit is not one of my favorite foods, but I'll eat it if it will help me get this weight off. Do you think it would help me lose weight? — Cindy, Nashua, N.H.

CINDY: Grapefruit is a great fruit, but it has no power to cause weight loss by itself. It's loaded with fiber and high in vitamin C, but you can only lose weight when you count your calories and eat fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your present weight.

Contact a nutritionist who will suggest a healthful, nutritious and delicious diet that will cause you to lose weight. Don't be surprised if grapefruit is included.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer 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.