DR. WALLACE: I'm a girl who is a senior in high school, and I just found out that my best friend is pregnant. She's obviously feeling a lot of stress, as she doesn't know what she's going to do at this point.

Her family is aware of her situation, and they are advising her on a daily basis. By talking to her directly, I know that one of the things she's seriously considering is having the baby and perhaps giving the child up for adoption.

Hearing this has put me in a very awkward situation, since I know I was adopted when I was just a baby myself. I've only been attending my current high school for three years since I moved to this area with my family in the early summer of 2022. This girl is now my best friend, but she doesn't know my own personal history. Do you think I should tell her that I was adopted, or should I just keep this to myself since she has so much on her mind already at this point? — Want to Be There for My Friend, via email

WANT TO BE THERE FOR MY FRIEND: I feel you have information that could give your friend additional perspective as she seeks to make a monumental decision in her life. It makes sense to present her with as much information as possible, and letting her know about your life, upbringing and how much you love your adopted parents could provide her with beneficial background information.

She obviously knows your character and how well adjusted you are these days, which implies that adoption is likely a viable avenue for her to consider. In the end, she must make her own decision, but I feel anyone with potentially valuable information should use this time to speak up in an earnest way to provide her an additional perspective.

I HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE BUT AM BLOCKED FROM IT

DR. WALLACE: I'm the oldest of five kids, and our parents are not the most attentive, to say the least. They spend more time drinking and socializing than they do attending to their children.

I'll be 17 in three months, and I have the opportunity to move in with a family that lives 2 miles from us. One of my good friends lives there, and he's an only child. Both of his parents are aware of my situation, and they told me they'll gladly allow me to live in their home if my parents agree.

So I brought it up to my parents last weekend, and my mother literally laughed out loud at me. She actually thought I was kidding and that it was a "ridiculous fantasy" I had somehow "conjured" up in my mind. My father didn't say much; he just sat there and shook his head at me, looked me in the eyes and then walked away.

I brought it up again a few days later, and both my parents told me to stop talking about such nonsense. If these friends lived 100 miles away, I would probably run away from home. But they just live across town, and I'll still be going to the same high school, so it's kind of hard for me to start living over there in a sneaky way. Can you think of a way that I can convince my parents to let me do this? Maybe I could come home for dinner on Sunday nights? — I'm Ready to Move Out, via email

I'M READY TO MOVE OUT: Unfortunately for you, you've got 15 months to wait until you can legally move out of your parents' home. My advice is to focus on doing well in high school, securing your diploma and planning for your future when you will be old enough to make your own decisions as to your residence and other things you wish to do.

As the eldest, do your best to be there for your younger siblings to help them along. Get involved with them, and think about what valuable guidance you may be able to provide them over the next year or so, especially since you won't be around much after that in all likelihood.

Finally, use the next year to plan carefully for your future. You'll need to think about getting a job, eventually paying rent and finding your way in the world. You have some time now to study many things carefully, make plans, work part-time jobs and even try to save some money.

The time will go by quickly, so plan now to do things you will be proud of when you're older and looking back at your life, especially this next year.

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: Suhyeon Choi at Unsplash