DR. WALLACE: I don't want to give all the specific details, but my best friend and I are two pretty young ladies, and we enjoy spending our spare time sunbathing and hanging out at the beach in the Gulf of Mexico. Almost every time we are at the shore, some older guys hit on us. It's flattering, but all we ever do is talk with them briefly and then move on. We never give out our names or telephone numbers.

We have often wondered why older guys are so fascinated with younger girls. We are both 16 and look our age, so there can be no mistake by these guys thinking we are older. Some of the guys who hawk us are even in their 30s! What's up with this? — Two Young Friends, Mobile, Alabama

TWO YOUNG FRIENDS: Most of the older guys who "hawk" younger girls find it difficult to compete with their peers for females their own age. That drives them to younger girls, where the competition is less challenging. This gives the guys more confidence, and many younger girls are flattered with the attention given to them by older guys.

You and your friend are wise to ignore older guys who you know are on the prowl. My advice is to not engage in any conversation at all with men who are that much older than you are, as nothing good can come from these situations.

MOM NEEDS TO RESPECT YOUR WISH

DR. WALLACE: My parents divorced six months ago, and I am living with my mother. My father has moved out of state. My mom is Protestant and my dad is Catholic. I was raised Catholic and baptized in the faith. My dad and I went to church together while my mom attended her own church.

Now my mom is encouraging me to go to church with her. I don't like that idea. I'm Catholic, and I want to continue attending my church. I also want to marry a Catholic man someday and raise our children Catholic. I'm 15 years old and would like your opinion about the situation. — Maria, Laredo, Texas

MARIA: It's always nice for family members to be in harmony with one another, but your mother needs to understand and respect your wish to remain at the church you prefer. Faith is a personal matter, and each individual should have the freedom to choose his or her own place of worship.

THE SOONER THE BETTER

DR. WALLACE: I turned 18 last week. I'm in the 12th grade and live with my parents in a totally dysfunctional home. My mother has a severe drinking habit, and, I am sad to say, my father abuses her mentally and physically.

My older sister is married and encouraging me to move in with her and her husband for my last year of high school. I will still be attending the same school. My sister is well aware of the terrible home situation I'm involved in and wants me out of there as soon as possible.

My dad doesn't want me to move in with my sister because they are not speaking to each other, and he said that I can't move until I finish high school, even though I'm 18. He said if I moved, he would call the police and have my sister arrested. He said I would be considered to be a runaway. Is this true? I don't want to get in trouble, and I surely don't want my sister to be in trouble with the law. She has a 6-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter, and her husband is a police officer, so she does not need any trouble in her life on my account. — In a Tough Situation, via email

TOUGH SITUATION: You are free to move in with your sister and her family because at 18, you are legally an adult and totally responsible for your own actions. The fact that you are still a high school student is irrelevant. Your sister would not be breaking any law by allowing you to live with her. Based on the information you have provided in your letter, it appears the sooner you leave your parents' house, the better.

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.