DR. WALLACE: I made a mistake and was hanging around the wrong people when they got into some serious trouble a few weeks ago.

Without going into the details, six of us got arrested and to my surprise, three of the six had previous records that I didn't know about. I've never been in trouble with the law in my life before, but now I'm facing some unsavory consequences.

Fortunately, it looks like I will receive the lightest penalty of everyone since I neither knew much about the activity that was involved, nor did I directly participate. But I did know, without specifics, that something was about to happen and for that I'm now in trouble for not disclosing it.

Please distribute my message to any other teenagers who may find themselves in a similar situation. Stay away from people who you know are doing highly illegal things. I pay a heavy price, and because I'm 19, my arrest is now part of my permanent record. — Ignorance is No Defense, via email

IGNORANCE IS NO DEFENSE: Thank you for sharing your message. I'm happy to shine a light on your situation in the hopes that it may help other teenagers or young adults going forward.

Always remember that you are in charge of yourself and your actions. You can choose where to spend your time, who to spend it with and what activities you decide to brush up against or even become marginally involved in. Sadly, as your letter indicates, partial ignorance is not a defense when you have some awareness of a crime about to occur.

I'M STONE COLD BLUE OVER REJECTIONS

DR. WALLACE: I've been facing a series of rejections lately, and I'm finding it quite depressing. My boyfriend of the last four months recently broke up with me and I've been rejected from several jobs that I've been interested in.

I also wanted to take out a small loan to start a home-based business, but because I don't have any sales yet or a cosigner, no local bank would lend anything to me. What's the best way to deal with rejection going forward? I'm definitely feeling the blues right now. — Often Feeling Rejected

OFTEN FEELING REJECTED: The best mental stance I've discovered and even used myself is the practice of "something better" is in my future. A quick example I can give you is the initiation of this column years ago. As a small and slowly developing local teen advice columnist, I faced many rejections and heard the words "no thanks" dozens of times more than I heard "I guess we can give it a try." I sold this column in the early days myself to various newspapers. Eventually, momentum and experience became factors and after almost moving on to another idea, things took a turn for the better. Hopefully, you will find this to be the case for your life as well.

In the relationship realm, you have tens of thousands of potentially viable partners you might meet in the future. Some of this group will know about you, see you and even speak to you about any matter at all. Think of your future dating life as a great adventure that you are just commencing.

Similarly, there will be many excellent potential job opportunities in your future. Put your focus decidedly forward, and don't look back or dwell on the past. Do your best to network with as many people (of all ages!) as you possibly can. Let them know what type of job you're looking for, what your skills and experience are and soon enough you'll find outstanding job opportunities. Along the path of networking and eventually landing a new job, you might also find some romantic opportunities. Onward!

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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