DR. WALLACE: My father smokes over a pack of cigarettes daily. He is totally addicted to tobacco. I love my father dearly and I don't want him to die early because of his addiction. My mom says that some tobacco smokers are switching to something called e-cigarettes because they are physically less dangerous. If this is true, we will try to get dad to switch. Can you enlighten us? How do they work? — Nameless, Brunswick, Ga.

NAMELESS: Electronic cigarettes are powered by batteries that convert liquid nicotine into vapor that the user inhales, according to howstuff-works.com.

Since e-cigarettes contain no tobacco, the manufacturers say their products offer advantages over those who smoke tobacco cigarettes. However, the Centers for Disease Control said e-cigarettes may be addictive and dangerous. Many health experts are asking questions about the possible side effects of inhaling nicotine vapor as well as other health risks they might pose to both the user and to the public. Since the use of e-cigarettes is a debatable alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes, I suggest your family continue encouraging dad to stop smoking tobacco cigarettes, and not to start substituting with e-cigarettes. It's not easy to eliminate the smoking habit, but it can be accomplished. Don't give up!

YOU WOULD BE GOOD COMPETITION

DR. WALLACE: I'm the parent of a 15-year-old daughter. My husband and I are from the "old school" of raising a daughter. We set rules for her and they are strictly enforced. She understands why we're raising her this way. It's because we love her dearly and want her to respect authority and become a model citizen.

Some time back, a 15-year-old wrote to you saying she'd like to date, but her parents won't allow it until she turns 16. Then sarcastically, she asked you if she was going to see a "white light" and turn into a responsible teen on the stroke of midnight on the eve of her 16th birthday. I was so upset at this girl that I forgot to remember your answer. Let me tell you how I would have responded to her if I were her mother:

"Young lady, you cannot legally consume an alcoholic beverage one second before you turn 21; you cannot vote one second before you turn 18; you cannot get a license to drive a motor vehicle one second before you turn 16 and you are not going to start dating one second before you turn 16 — period. So quit trying to get Dr. Wallace to take your side." — Mother, Goshen, Ind.

MOTHER: Have you ever considered writing a column for teens? You would be good competition!

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. E-mail 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.