DR. WALLACE: I'm 15 and my boyfriend is 16, and we've been seeing each other for about six months. For the past five months we've had problems and have come close to breaking up several times. Let me tell you why. He flirts with other girls, never calls me, is too busy to come by my house and never invites me to his house.

He teases me when he's around my friends and ignores me when he's around his friends, but when we're alone, he's all over me. When we have a disagreement, I'm always the one who winds up saying, "I'm sorry," just to keep peace. I'm tired of being the person to make this relationship stick together and I'm fed up being treated this way. Do you think it's time to tell him goodbye? — Vickie, Carson City, Nev.

VICKIE: I think you know the answer as well as I do. There seems to be nothing worth keeping about this relationship, except, perhaps, the status of having a "boyfriend." Believe me, this perk is not worth putting up with him. This guy is far too immature to be capable of being in a steady relationship. The last word he needs to hear from you, clearly and unequivocally, is, indeed, "Goodbye!"

MY DAUGHTER TAKES A MULTIVITAMIN DAILY

DR. WALLACE: Please answer this letter from a mother. I am very health-conscious and do my best to provide healthy, nutritious food for my 14-year-old daughter. About a month ago I read in a health magazine that teens need to take vitamin supplements to ensure they are receiving all their vitamin requirements. I now make my daughter take a multivitamin every morning. This should be a simple procedure, but she has trouble swallowing it and gags every time. She also insists that taking extra vitamins is unnecessary, according to her health teacher.

Please provide me with "the truth, and nothing but the truth," concerning teens taking vitamin capsules to stay healthy and fit. — Mother, St. Paul, Minn.

MOTHER: My research led me to Dr. Ronald Kleinman, chief of children's services at Massachusetts General Hospital, who says that healthy children who eat a varied diet do not need extra vitamins. Giving children vitamins just to be on the safe side is "overkill," Dr. Kleinman says. Children who eat balanced diets of fruits, vegetables, protein, cereals or bread and dairy products fortified with vitamin D don't need any kind of supplemental vitamins.

LIKE A FOOL, I THOUGHT I LOVED HIM

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and have been having sex with my boyfriend since I was 14. It has taken me two whole years to realize that all he ever wanted was sex. He told me, "If you love me, you will." Like a fool, I thought I loved him.

What I should have told him was, "If you love me, you won't." I hope my letter will help a confused young lady who thinks she is in love and must have sex to prove it. — Nameless, Moline, Ill.

NAMELESS: Every little bit of testimony helps. By the way, I certainly hope that boyfriend is history!

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.