DR WALLACE: I hate to see my parents argue, especially when they're basically a loving couple and very good parents to me and my siblings.

They're both very frugal in most departments; however, my father loves to buy $10 of "Mega Millions" lottery tickets every week. My mother accuses him of being a hardcore gambler and wasting family money.

But besides his fondness for lottery tickets, he does not take part in any other gambling. Unfortunately, they argue about this regularly.

Is there anything I can do to help smooth out this issue that put a black cloud over our family every few weeks? I know I'm just a teenager, but I want to help. — Lotto Tickets Cause Constant Friction, via email

LOTTO TICKETS: It is quite sensitive for you to try to step in between your parents and negotiate financial matters or friction in their marriage for whatever reason.

However, in this instance, I can think of a way for you to potentially help. Your father is spending $520 per year if he buys $10 worth of lotto tickets weekly, so your mother has a valid point, even if her reference to this lacks a bit of finesse.

Perhaps you can talk with your father privately and ask him if he could reduce his lotto spending to just one $2 ticket per week.

Tell him the only reason you're bringing this up is that you really dislike hearing your parents argue since they're both such good people. Also be sure to add that you know this is really none of your business, but you want to at least run the idea by him in an effort to promote family harmony.

Your father could still enjoy the thrill of having an opportunity to win the lotto at a $2 investment per week. If he would make this reduction, his total expenditure would only be $104 per year, and your family's budget would save $416 annually.

If he does agree, let him take credit for it, in case that helps him more with your mother than it would if you were revealed as the catalyst. I wish nothing but good luck to everyone involved.

HE'S WHINING AND THREATENING TO GO TO WAR

DR WALLACE: My recent boyfriend and I dated for nearly a year and a half during our junior and senior years of high school.

However, our relationship became stale and repetitive, and we broke up two weeks into this summer. For about 10 days, I didn't hear much at all from him, but since then he has unleashed a torrent of whining phone calls and texts, all begging me to get back with him and give him another chance.

I've pretty much made up my mind and don't see the point in trying to rekindle a relationship that was already flaming out and had probably gone on too long in the first place. It seems to me that the end of our high school days was as good a time as any to finally end this unsatisfying relationship.

I took a few of his calls and tolerated his begging texts, but in the past three days, he's called me five times and told me each time that if I don't get back with him, he's going to immediately enlist in the military and do his best to get put on the front lines in a war somewhere around the world so that he can die a hero without me.

Naturally, I worry about him, but all of this seems so sudden and out of character. He never acted like this before, nor did he ever make any comments previously about harming himself.

What should I do? Please don't tell me to get back with him just because he's making these threats. — Finished but Concerned, via email

FINISHED BUT CONCERNED: He's likely dealing with a period of shock after having your relationship end. He likely feels lost and is grasping at straws to get your attention.

No, I'm not going to advise you to get back together with him, but rather to speak to his friends, parents and anyone else in his life so that they can be informed as to what he's saying. This should prompt them to speak to him and intervene as needed.

He may or may not enlist in the military, but if he does, it's unlikely that he'll follow through on the specific threats he confided to you.

If and when you do speak to him again, be firm but polite and let him know you have empathy for how he's feeling, but that your decision is final. Tell him that you're concerned about his personal safety and you see it as your duty to notify his loved ones accordingly.

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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