DR. WALLACE: My grandfather is a very nice guy and has always been quite good to me. But he does have one peculiar quirk: He always wants our family to buy lottery tickets for him! He does have money for it, and he readily hands out the cash, but he will often forget about it and then expect us — usually me — to drop everything and drive to the liquor store to get his lottery tickets right before a big drawing!

It's suddenly very convenient for everyone in my family to send me out for the lottery tickets because I turned 18 two months ago and still live at home. Do you think it's fair that I have to drop everything and hustle to get lottery tickets under time pressure? And by the way, my grandpa is my mother's father, and my mom tells me it's my obligation to honor my grandpa's wishes. My dad will sometimes buy the tickets for my grandpa, but my mother never seems to get involved. — It's Like a Job, via email

IT'S LIKE A JOB: My first thought is that your grandfather likely was playing the lottery for a long time before you turned the magic age of 18! Who purchased his lottery tickets back then for the past several years?

My opinion is that if your grandfather wants to play the lottery regularly, the adults in your household should buy them well in advance, and everyone should take a turn to keep Gramps entertained. Hopefully he has some other interests that overlap with you beyond his desire to hit it big financially!

MY FORMER BEAU DOUBLED BACK, NOW WHAT?

DR. WALLACE: I'm a teenage girl who's just getting started in the dating world. My mom has been really cool about it, and she's absolutely giving me some space to learn about dating on my own. She does have a lot of rules, but to be completely honest, they are reasonable.

Anyhow, for a couple of months, I've been dating a really nice guy whom I have definitely had feelings for, but out of the blue he told me one day that he didn't want to date me anymore! I was of course crushed, and I spent a week and a half pouting every single day about being dumped. I kept waiting for him to call or text me, but he never did.

Then after a while, a different guy asked me out, and I accepted, and even though we've only been on three dates so far, all of them went really well, and I'm getting to know him better. I like him and have been planning on continuing to date him, but the first guy just called me yesterday and told me he made a big mistake and wants to get back together with me! Now my problem is, I already have a date scheduled for next weekend with the second guy. What should I do? I never dreamed I would be in this position. — Not Sure What to Do, via email

NOT SURE WHAT TO DO: My advice is to continue dating the second guy, and honor the future date you have set up with him. Let that relationship play out, and see where it goes. Both of you deserve to see how you'll continue to get along together, and remember, he has not disrespected you like the first guy did.

You can tell the first guy that you thank him for getting back to you and that you'll consider his offer perhaps in the future — but only if you and he are not dating anyone else at that time. But tell him that you need to be honest with him that you're dating someone else right now, and you're going to continue to respect that person and yourself.

You'll be amazed at how good and empowering it feels to be open and honest, and to give a reasonable answer. Your first guy may be surprised to hear your reply, but if he is sincere, he may wait for a second opportunity if one ever arises. And if he pouts, or says something sassy to you, you'll know that it's best that you moved on anyhow. In my opinion, how he responds to your open and honest reply to his request will tell you everything about his character and how he truly feels about you.

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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