DR. WALLACE: My friend at school told me she has a cousin who lives about 20 minutes away and goes to another high school. She said he's a great person, quite attractive and has a great personality.

My friend has been badgering me to go on a blind date with this cousin. For a while I was resistant to the idea but I finally agreed to go on the blind date.

I went over to my friend's house this past weekend to say hello and see about going to a movie together, but my friend was not home. But guess who was there at their family home: my "blind" date! I know this because I was introduced to his mother as my friend's aunt and to him as her cousin! It must be this guy!

And now my problem is that this guy really isn't my type. He doesn't look the way most of my boyfriends usually do, and I don't know much about his personality because he just said hello. I'll give him credit for being polite and well-mannered but based on his looks, I wouldn't normally be interested.

How can I get out of this blind date? — No Longer Interested, via email

NO LONGER INTERESTED: First, you don't know for sure that this young man was actually your blind date. It's possible that your friend has more than one cousin.

And even if this is the person who is to be your blind date, I believe you would be best served to follow through on your commitment. You said yourself that you don't know much about his personality, but you gave him credit for being well-mannered.

If you spend the rest of your life prejudging people purely on their looks, trust me, you'll miss many great opportunities and you'll spend a lot of your time chasing after people who won't be compatible with you anyway.

I suggest you do a bit of growing up here and go on your blind date with no preconceptions. If things don't work out for you, it's only one day but if you somehow find a connection, even one that's a platonic friendship, you'll have learned a very valuable life lesson.

HER ACCENT EMBARRASSES SOME OF MY FRIENDS

DR. WALLACE: My parents were born outside the United States, and my mother still has a very heavy European accent. I was born here, so I speak English without any noticeable accent at all.

When I have my girlfriends over to my house, they speak with my mother and some of them tell me they're very embarrassed to hear her accent. It's as if they think she is uneducated or something. Yes, my mom has a heavy accent but she's also very smart and a nice person!

Two girls in particular feel this way, and whenever I invite them over to my house they always say no and want me to meet them somewhere else. My remaining three close girlfriends all love my mother and they like eating her cooking too! She's a great cook and she's generous as well.

How can I get my other two girlfriends to accept my mother for who she is? — Daughter of a European Mother, via email

DAUGHTER OF A EUROPEAN MOTHER: Sadly, some people are shallow and don't take the time to get to know people who are different than they are. It's not easy to convince them to take the time to get to know other cultures, traditions and ways of speaking and interacting.

Frankly, it's often not worth the time to try to convince them. I suggest you stick close to your current three good friends who feel comfortable in your home and don't worry about interacting with the other two. Stay loyal to your mother and don't indulge anyone who ever looks down on her. She deserves better and you do as well.

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.

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