DR. WALLACE: As a girl who's a junior in high school, I've been interested in dating for the last year and have been on a lot of dates without much relationship success.

However, a guy I started dating about seven weeks ago has been doing well enough to keep me interested, but things are starting to get a little more difficult lately. I know this may sound trivial, but he uses these two nicknames for me that he alternates and I don't like either one of them. What's worse, he'll say these names in front of other people. It's beyond cringeworthy and it makes me want to sink into a gopher hole to be out of sight.

Whenever I say something that he finds to be too routine, he'll call me "Captain Obvious" in front of everyone as if what I said was not valid or didn't have any meaning beyond what everybody already knew. Then to bookend that, he'll sometimes call me, in a very syrupy and almost childlike voice, his "Muppet Bear!" I've repeatedly told him not to use these names.

I'm literally at my wits' end and feel like I need to break up with him if he won't stop calling me these two names in front of our friends or even people I only know casually at school. Am I overreacting here? Is he within his rights to call me any names like this that he wants, as long as he isn't using curse words or really demeaning words? — I Can't Stand These Nicknames, via email

I CAN'T STAND THESE NICKNAMES: Imagine if the situation was reversed and you called him a name or two, including a "pet" name and then he asked you not to address him in those specific phrases. Would you understand and respect his wishes? Or would you feel it's your right to call him whatever you want no matter what he thought about it?

When you look at things from this perspective, the only thing that's obvious here is that he's being obnoxious at your expense. Clearly tell him one final time that it's actually a dealbreaker for you to be referred to by these names in private and especially in public. Hopefully he'll get the message and will truly understand that this upsets you. A responsible, caring, reliable partner in a relationship would want to organically honor your wishes. Let's hope he demonstrates this to you quickly.

MY BOYFRIEND WANTS MORE FREE FRUIT FROM OUR FAMILY'S TREES!

DR. WALLACE: I'm a college student, and my boyfriend is a great guy and best of all, he treats me really well. But there are times that he embarrasses me, and I don't really know what to do about it. He's really into organic food, and like most college students, money is tight for each of us.

My parents invited us over to a barbecue late in the summer at their house. Things went even better than I expected, as he bonded with my father quite well and my mother seemed to like him a lot too. My dad took him out and showed him some of his prized fruit trees and told him to pick a few pieces of fruit that he might like to try, since our trees have a bountiful harvest every year in sunny California.

My boyfriend raved for weeks about how great the fruit was on my parents' trees, so he's been strongly hinting that we should go back for another visit to see my folks again! I know for a fact his motivation is to gather up more free fruit, and to me this is embarrassing! I don't want to lie to him and tell him that I contacted my parents and they're too busy right now, but I know that if I request another invitation for us to come over and visit, my boyfriend is going to make a beeline to those trees and ask my father if he can harvest another bag of fresh fruit.

How can I ethically avoid this situation without lying to get my boyfriend to just drop this subject? — He Loves Organic Fruit, via email

HE LOVES ORGANIC FRUIT: Let me get this straight: During the first visit, your boyfriend went to your parents' house; he strongly bonded with your father and your mother enjoyed his company as well. Your parents offered some fresh fruit to him and he was overjoyed to get it.

Now you're worried that if you create a new invitation for another visit to your family's home, the same thing will happen? Why should that be a problem for you? Unless your parents suddenly change their tune about being 'fruit generous' towards your boyfriend, I feel you're missing the silver lining of him continuing to bond with them. Your letter didn't indicate how serious the two of you are at this point in your relationship, but you did mention that he is a great guy who treats you very well. I truly don't see any problem here. Perhaps it's best to exhale a nice deep breath and roll with it.

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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