DR. WALLACE: I'm responding to the girl whose parents are pressuring her to attend the University of Pennsylvania and major in pre-law. Her mother and father are graduates of Penn and both are attorneys. She was happy about being accepted at Penn and wanted to attend, but she didn't know what her major would be. She knew, however, that she wanted nothing to do with being a lawyer.

I'm glad you told her to enroll at Penn and see how things work out, because a college student usually doesn't have to declare a major until she has finished her second year. Before then, she would take mostly required subjects.

I was in a similar situation. Both of my parents are dentists. They met in medical school and were married when they both began practicing dentistry. All I heard when I was in high school was that I, too, was going to be a dentist. Ugh! I detest going to a dentist and I wanted no part of working in other people's mouths.

Well, to make a long story short, I was accepted at the University of Tennessee and enrolled in pre-dentistry. I didn't do well at all grade-wise and dropped out of the university during my second year. After completing a year at a community college, where I received excellent grades, I enrolled at Memphis State University and graduated with honors. My major was elementary education.

I am now teaching third grade and I love every moment I'm in the classroom. My parents are disappointed that I didn't become a dentist, but if I had, I'd be miserable. Better that my parents be disappointed than that I be miserable. — Teacher, Nashville, Tenn.

TEACHER: Wise parents offer career suggestions, not pressure. Pushing one's child into a career she doesn't like is, quite simply, a flagrant abuse of parental authority. All children should be allowed to make their own career choices. They have a right to live their own lives!

I couldn't agree with you more. Mom and Dad's foolish disappointment is nothing compared to their child's lifelong misery.

YOUR COMPLEXION CAN BE IMPROVED

DR. WALLACE: I'm 14 and I'm starting to get pimples. I heard that if you stop eating junk foods, your complexion will clear up. So I have stopped consuming chocolate and all other candy, French fries, and soft drinks. It's been three weeks, but so far, my pimples haven't gone away. How long does it take for my pimples to vanish after I stop eating junk food? — Zack, Dallas, Tex.

ZACK: Avoiding candy and other junk foods is great for your health, but won't eliminate pimples. This common problem of adolescence results from clogged pores, excessive oil in the skin, and other factors, but not what you eat.

In the last few years, many medications have become available to help those who suffer from pimples and acne. Have your parents make an appointment with a dermatologist. Your complexion can be dramatically improved.

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.