DR. WALLACE: I'm 20 and the love of my life is 22. We work for the same company and make a reasonable amount of money. We've been dating for seven months and have grown to love each other very much, so much that we've set a wedding date for the Saturday after Christmas. We're really excited and so are his parents.

However, it's a different story with my parents. My boyfriend was born in the United States and is an American citizen. His parents are now American citizens, but they were born in Mexico. My parents are totally against my marrying someone of Mexican heritage. I've dated guys who were Irish, Italian, Greek and true-blue Americans and none of them were as kind, sweet, generous, intelligent and thoughtful as Mario.

At one time I thought I was in love with one of these guys, but that was nothing now that I'm truly in love with Mario. We are lucky that Mario and I are of the same religion, so there will never be a conflict when we have children.

My father has told me that neither he, nor my mother, would come to our wedding and, that if I do marry him, they'd want nothing to do with me or any children we might have. My older brother married a girl whose parents were born in Ireland and my parents are extremely fond of her.

I'm still going to marry Mario, regardless of what my parents think. I'm writing to you hoping you can offer suggestions that might help the situation. — Cindy, Pecos, Tex.

CINDY: First, I'd like to tell you that marrying Mario is the right thing to do. Tell your parents that you will be extremely disappointed if they do not attend your wedding and that you love them both very much and will continue to stay in contact with them. Let's hope they come to their senses and do not allow this split in the family to occur. If it does, your parents will be the losers, big time!

Talk with your brother and other family members and see if they can help persuade your parents to change their minds. Stay as close as you can to your brother and his family and if your father refuses to do the honor of giving you away at the wedding, ask your brother to substitute.

If Mom and Dad don't relent before the wedding, stay in touch by phone and if they refuse to speak with you, stay in touch by mail or email. Make sure you send them a card on appropriate occasions such as birthdays, Mother's and Father's Day and the holiday season.

I've had many letters similar to yours since I started writing this column, and I'm happy to say that, in almost all cases, the disgruntled parents eventually change their minds — at least after their first grandchild enters the scene.

I DISAGREE WITH YOUR ADVICE

DR. WALLACE: I'm 20 and I disagree with a piece of advice you gave an 18-year-old "social" drinker. You told him to stop drinking completely. Your advice only reflects society's misunderstanding of young people in our culture. Why is it wrong for a teen to be a social drinker, but OK for an adult to be one? Think about that one for a while. — Nameless, Talladega, Ala.

NAMELESS: Who says it's OK for adults to be social drinkers? Not me! The world would be a better place to live if it were devoid of all alcohol!

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.