DR. WALLACE: I'm a 19-year-old male university student. I've got a great sense of humor and am pretty funny. I am a good student and I have never done drugs, alcohol or tobacco. However, I'm very shy around girls. As a result, I've never had a girlfriend and have never kissed a girl. In fact, I've never even been on a date.

The only two experiences concerning girls turned out pretty bad. I asked one girl to the prom in high school and she just gave me a look that made me look foolish for asking. The other time, a friend of mine set me up with a date with a girl he knew, and she stood me up.

I'm having my doubts, wondering if I'll ever go out on a date with a girl or whether I'm destined to be single all my life. Do you think there is any hope for a guy like me? I've always thought you help teens a lot and hope you can help me, too. — Nameless, Ames, Iowa.

NAMELESS: Don't give up hope! Just be patient, because meeting someone of the opposite sex takes longer for the shy person than the more outgoing one. You must trust in the fact that you have many good qualities that will shine through when you do begin to date. I'm sure your destiny is to fall in love, marry and raise a family.

The best way to begin is to get involved in campus life at your university. There are many classes, clubs and activities that you can become involved with. Take a drama class, work on the student newspaper, participate in intramural sports, or even work for the presidential candidate of your choice. The more active you are, the more people you'll meet and the more friends you'll make — including young women. You'll be dating one of them in no time.

Your university will have many fabulous coeds who will get to know you and be thrilled to go out with you. The key to finding them is believing in yourself, because at the present time you are too hard on yourself. Remember that smiles attract; frowns detract. So smile and people will enjoy your company.

YOUR REAL FATHER IS MITCH

DR. WALLACE: My dad left my mother and me when I was only 7 years old. I'm 13 now, and I've only heard from him twice in the past six years. My mother married Mitch three years ago, and he is a great guy and makes my mother and me very happy.

Last week a friend at school asked me who my real father was, and I said Mitch. Then she said, "I mean your real father." Again, I said Mitch and that made her mad.

Should I have told her about the man who deserted my mother and me? This girl knows that Mitch is mom's second husband. — Nameless, DeKalb, Ill.

NAMELESS: Your "real" father is Mitch to any and everyone who inquires.

MOTHER NATURE IS NEVER WRONG

DR. WALLACE: I know the word adolescence means the change from child to young adult, but at what age does this occur? I'm 13, and I don't think I'm a young adult yet. My voice is still squeaky, and I haven't started to get body hair yet, either. Am I what you would call a "late bloomer"? — Dylan, Mobile, Ala.

DYLAN: Some people enter adolescence at age 10, while others wait until age 13 or 14. This stage generally lasts two to three years. Mother Nature decides this.

Consider yourself a late bloomer, but have no fear, you will bloom. Mother Nature is never wrong.

Dr. Robert 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.