DR. WALLACE: I'm a teen girl who babysits for our next-door neighbor regularly. She has a nice little boy, and I enjoy the job because I enjoy taking care of him and of course, I also enjoy getting paid.

I've done some babysitting of this little boy off and on during the summer but lately she's asked me to watch her child now for up to six hours on a Saturday as she goes out with various friends of hers for about eight hours at a time.

It started out with me just taking care of her child, but the last three times I've done the babysitting, other girlfriends of hers have dropped off either one, two or even three of their own children on top of the little boy I always babysit!

The strange thing is, these other women never pay me at all when they get home, and I get paid the same rate if I just watch the one neighbor boy next door, or if I watch three or even sometimes four children! Trust me, it makes a huge difference with three kids, and it's a really hard job with four kids running around on a Saturday afternoon for eight hours!

My mom and dad are not happy about this, and they're pressuring me to say something to our neighbor. But I don't want to lose my job, and I don't want to be disrespectful to her. What should I do? I'm not good at bringing up subjects like this because it's kind of sensitive. But on the other hand, it does kind of feel like they're taking advantage of me. What should I do? — Sometimes More Than I Signed Up For, via email

SOMETIMES MORE THAN I SIGNED UP FOR: My suggested solution would be to leverage your parents into the matter, especially since they're quite aware of what's going on. They no doubt have some sort of relationship with their next-door neighbor, and perhaps you could politely ask your parents to intervene on your behalf here. Your mother might be able to talk with the lady next door one-on-one to see what can be done. This would also protect you from appearing to be disrespectful, although my sense is telling me you would politely bring the matter up if you were comfortable doing so. You mentioned your parents were "pressuring" you, but I feel this is their responsibility to speak up here, not yours.

Most adults who hire a babysitter, especially a teen girl for this job, fully understand that the girl must receive approval from her parents to do the work. Therefore, it should be no problem to have your parents discuss your work situation with your next-door neighbor "employer."

MY GRANDMA LIKES THINGS TIDY AND IS NOT USED TO DOGS

DR. WALLACE: My mother is not in my life, so I live with my father, who takes really good care of me. I'm a 14-year-old girl, and the good thing is I have a lot of friends and good relationships with several of their mothers who always treat me like a daughter.

My father has a sales job, and until recently, he was able to do it within our home county in our state. But now he's going to have to start traveling to the two nearest states as well as part of his new territory, since he got a promotion.

This means that for one or two weeks every month, I'm going to have to go live with my grandmother, his mother, who lives about 5 miles away from us. She's a good grandma, but she's never been comfortable with pets, and the tough news for me is that I just got a brand new puppy.

I haven't said anything to anyone yet, but I'm nervous about having to take my puppy over to my grandmother's house since she's very particular about her home, her yard and her garden. My little dog is just a puppy, so his behavior is not going to be perfect, if you know what I mean. What can I do about this? I don't want to lose my dog, especially now that my father's going to be gone from time to time. — Worried About My Puppy, via email

WORRIED ABOUT MY PUPPY: Definitely speak with your father immediately about your concerns! He knows quite well how much you care about your puppy and how much your dog means to you.

Yes, your grandmother is likely quite set in her ways regarding her home, but your father should be able to speak to his mother and explain things in advance. If you need to live in your grandmother's home, then perhaps a small, fenced area in her yard could be set up in advance so that when your dog is in the backyard, he will stay in a controlled area.

Another idea would be to see if your grandmother might be comfortable living with you in your home while your father is traveling for business. Mention this idea in advance to your father as well. It's truly his responsibility to set things up with your grandmother, especially since this is his mother, and he understands the situation from all perspectives. Don't hesitate to bring this up now, as soon as possible, because you don't want to tell your father right before he's about to leave on a trip.

The sooner he recognizes and understands your concerns, the better for everyone involved - especially your precious pup.

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.

Photo credit: Robert Collins at Unsplash