DR. WALLACE: As a guy who is now a junior in high school, I have to admit to you that I'm a big fan of your column! But I don't want your head to get too big, so I'll be completely honest with you. I would say that I agree with your advice about 60% to 65% of the time. But I disagree with your advice at times as well, probably a third of the time or so.

One of the reasons I'm a big fan is that my parents and even my grandmother enjoy reading your column, so when there's an issue that impacts my life, I always look to see if there's a previous column of yours that addresses that particular subject. If l can find one and I like your answer, I then show it to my parents and grandmother, and they often will agree with my viewpoint, as backed up with your advice, and then they usually compromise in my direction.

But if all I can find in your archives on a particular topic I'm dealing with gives the advice opposite to what I'm trying to accomplish, I'll admit that I don't show it to my parents or grandma. Do I get points for being a fan and being honest with you? — Sometimes Your Columns Are Useful to Me, via email

SOMETIMES YOUR COLUMNS ARE USEFUL TO ME: I absolutely give you credit for being a fan, and thank you for your readership. However, you are a crafty guy, searching for only those of my answers that can benefit your position!

It's true that you don't necessarily have to volunteer any of my answers to previous questions that run counter to your interests, so I'll at least give you credit for doing research. But don't forget, that can cut both ways. Someday you may be surprised that one of your parents or your dear grandmother may recall one of my answers on a topic that you definitely wouldn't bring to their attention!

YOUR FATHER LIKELY IS TEACHING YOU A BUSINESS LESSON

DR. WALLACE: I'm a girl who is a sophomore in high school, and I'm pretty good at doing research online. My father gives me a reasonable allowance, but it's nothing too grandiose. A while back, I told him I'd like to do extra chores to get a higher allowance by helping more around the house. He then asked me if I'd be willing to do some research online that may help him with his job. We gave it a try, and he found that my help was indeed useful to him.

So he then started to give me regular work, he pays me by the project, and there's always a deadline. The amount he pays me is absolutely fair, so I love having this extra work to help me supplement my allowance. But last Saturday morning, he asked me to do some specific research and to have it ready by 1 p.m. because he had to leave the house and be at a meeting with a business colleague across town at 2:30 p.m.

My best friend and I had a planned brunch that morning because it was her birthday. I went to the brunch and had a great time with her, then I hustled home to do the research. I found a lot of good information on the subject he wanted. I had it all printed out and gave it to him at 1:10 p.m. He looked at it, mumbled the word "thanks," then headed out the door immediately. I know the specific restaurant he was going to meet the other man at, and it's only a 20-minute drive.

So my father would've absolutely been able to be there at that restaurant by 1:45 p.m. or so, well ahead of his 2:30 p.m. business meeting. I'm telling you all these details because it turns out that when it came time for my father to pay me for that particular segment of research, he told me that since I missed the deadline, he was not going to pay me at all for it!

He told me to not miss another deadline ever again but that he would give me another chance in a week or two when he needed more help. Since my dad is a man of few words, I knew better than to argue with him about this matter. He did give me another research project the next week, and I got paid in full for that one. He never mentioned the time he didn't pay me, and I didn't bring it up either.

Do you think what he did was fair? It's true that I was 10 minutes behind the schedule he gave me, but he still had more than enough time to arrive at his meeting on time that day. — Stunned My Dad Didn't Pay Me, via email

STUNNED MY DAD DIDN'T PAY ME: I obviously don't know what was going on in your father's mind that day, but I can speculate a bit regarding his possible perspective and point out a few things that may be useful to you.

One thing he may have been doing was imparting upon you how critical deadlines are in the business world. If this was his intention, he knew you would feel the sting of not getting paid, and this would be a lesson you would not soon forget.

Another thing you should consider is that you don't know what your father had to do between 1 p.m. and arriving at that meeting on time at 2:30 p.m. Perhaps he had to make other stops along the way. You felt he had plenty of time to arrive at the meeting in advance via your calculations, but you were assuming he didn't have any important actions to take along the way. He likely gave you the 1 p.m. deadline for a very specific and good reason.

Finally, you mentioned in your letter that your father compensates you in a very fair manner for all the work you've done up to this point. My advice is not to discuss the subject with him any further about not getting paid that one time, and certainly don't complain or whine about it. Simply learn a tough lesson, be ready to go when he needs future assistance, and leave yourself enough time to be sure you can meet his deadline with room to spare.

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: Jovan Vasiljevi? at Unsplash