DR. WALLACE: My mom happened to find my diary, and of course she read it! Most of what was in there was pretty basic and not too bad.

But without going into details, I did make a few notations about a boy I've been seeing lately. Fortunately, I didn't spell out exactly everything that happened, but there is probably enough there for my mom to be most uncomfortable reading it.

So far she hasn't lectured me about anything or asked me any questions about it, but she did tell me that I'm now grounded for the next two weeks. Do you feel it's appropriate for a mother to read a daughter's diary and then ground her based on what she saw in the diary only? — My Mom Is a Spy, via email

MY MOM IS A SPY: I agree that it's quite unusual to have a sequence of events exactly as you have described, but unfortunately for you, you've learned a hard lesson. Living in your mother's home, you had to know in the back of your mind that your diary would be possibly vulnerable at some point.

Your letter didn't mention your age, but if you're under the age of 18, your mother has the authority to not only read your diary but ground you for any reason she chooses. Your best bet would be to accept your punishment without complaining or escalating the situation, and explain carefully to your mother that you expected your journal entries to be confidential.

THE DOGGONE MESS I'M IN NOW

DR. WALLACE: I live with my girlfriend, and we're both 19. She recently got arrested for both a failure to appear on a previous matter and also for resisting arrest.

Apparently things aren't going too well, and the judge in our area does not have a sense of humor. She's now apparently facing 30 to 90 days of incarceration. She has a small dog that I've been forced to take care of 24 hours a day ever since she got into this trouble.

Next week I'm leaving to go on a planned six-day fishing trip with my two closest friends. I can't take the dog with me, and I haven't been able to find anyone to take care of the dog while I'll be gone. I'd kind of like to put the dog up for adoption, since I never interacted with the dog before anyway, but I'm stuck there also because I don't know anyone who would take it. And if I dropped it off at the dog pound, and my girlfriend found out about it later, that would be the end of our relationship for sure. What should I do? — In a Doggone Mess, via email

IN A DOGGONE MESS: Stop trying to pawn the dog off on someone else at this point. Put your energy into finding a proper dog boarding facility in your area. It will definitely cost some money to do this, but it's the right move for you, especially if you still want to go on your fishing trip.

You can settle up the finances with your girlfriend later, but you need to ensure that her canine is safe and healthy when you return from your trip. Remember, it's not the dog's fault that your girlfriend's behavior created this situation.

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: Marcos Paulo Prado at Unsplash