DR. WALLACE: I'm a 13-year-old girl and I love playing sports (basketball, volleyball, softball.) My parents have encouraged me and are proud of my athletic ability. If possible, one or both of my parents attend all of the games I play in.

My problem is that my aunt (mom's sister) thinks that I should be concentrating on music or drama at school instead of athletics. She thinks that female athletes are not feminine and are all tomboys at heart. How can I (very politely) tell her to mind her own darn business? — Nameless, Ft. Myers, Fl.

NAMELESS: Your aunt is misinformed and needs to zipper her mouth. Sassy Magazine made several observations regarding girls and athletics:

Teen girls who are involved in organized athletics are 93 percent less likely to become drug users, 80 percent less likely to become pregnant before marriage, and three times more likely to graduate than girls who are not athletes.

Besides the obvious benefits of getting regular exercise — which promotes good health — female athletes also, on average, have higher grades than girls who do not participate in some sort of organized athletics. Three cheers for girl athletes!

A DOCTOR WILL KEEP YOUR VISIT CONFIDENTIAL

DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 and my boyfriend and I are about to take our relationship to a new level by entering into a sexual relationship. Just answer my question — I don't want to hear about abstinence.

My boyfriend and I are both virgins, so we don't have to worry about sexually transmitted diseases, but I do worry about me getting pregnant. That would be a hindrance because we will both be attending college together and then marrying when we both land jobs in our chosen fields, (medicine for him, law for me.)

I plan to be fitted for a diaphragm, but since I'm under 18 my concern is if the doctor will keep my visit confidential or notify my parents? They would not be thrilled if they were notified that their daughter is going on birth control. — Nameless, Nashville

NAMELESS: Since you've thought this through and rejected abstinence, far be it from me to sound the warning that, "taking your relationship to a new level" is likely to end it. The risk of unwanted pregnancy is a serious one, but responsible precaution reduces the risk considerably. Rest assured, the doctor will keep your visit confidential.

SOME PEOPLE KEEP GROWING TO AGE 25

DR. WALLACE: I'm 14 and short for my age. When do people stop growing? My physical education teacher says that people can continue to grow until they're 20, but my grandmother thinks he's wrong. She thinks that people stop growing at age 18 and that my teacher is just trying to make me feel good. — Vince, Topeka, Kans.

VINCE: Most people reach their maximum height by age 18, but some keep growing until age 25. People stop growing when their bones do.

Grandmas are very bright people and are correct most of the time, but not this time!

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.