DR. WALLACE: I'm 17, and in the 12th grade and I have very good grades. I've been accepted and will attend Oakland University in the fall of 2018. I have an opportunity to work part-time (two hours after school and four hours on Saturday) at our city library. I would really like to have this work experience and the money will be put to good use.

My parents are not sure they want me to take this job. I'm sure you will say take the job, but quit if my grades start slipping even a fraction. I just want to see it in writing to show my parents. — Susan, Oklahoma City, Okla.

SUSAN: I hope your parents will allow you to take the job. The work experience will prove beneficial and I'm sure the money you earn will be well spent. But I'm also sure they will make you quit if your grades start slipping, even a fraction.

LEAVE THE CORN SILK ALONE

DR. WALLACE: My grandfather said that when he was a teenager, he and his pals used to smoke corn silk. They dried it and put it in a corncob pipe and smoked it. He said it was fun and didn't cause any kind of lung problems. I've been thinking of giving it a try just for the heck of it. Do you see any danger in this? — Chuck, Atlanta, Ga.

CHUCK: Lungs are delicate organs hardly intended to function as smoke filters, regardless of the substance smoked. All smoke contains toxic chemicals that are harmful to lung tissue.

Enjoy grandfather's stories, but leave the corn silk alone!

ENJOY THE MOMENT

DR. WALLACE: I'm 13 and just now starting to be interested in boys. There are three boys who want me to be their girlfriend, but I don't know which one I like the most. All three have good qualities and good character. One boy is very funny. He always makes me laugh. Another boy is very smart and cute. He helps me a lot with my homework. The third boy is a very good athlete and keeps telling me I should be his girlfriend because he is going to be a professional baseball player, sign a huge money contract, and we would be rich.

What should I do? I've never heard of a girl with three boyfriends. To complicate things, a new boy from Texas enrolled in our school last week and already we are giving each other the eye. Help! — Nameless, Newark, N.J.

NAMELESS: Wow, what a nice dilemma! My advice is to enjoy talking with all three boys, but know that it isn't necessary for you to choose one as a boyfriend. If one of them puts pressure on you, tell him to back off. In three or four years, you may want to make that kind of choice. For now, enjoy the moment. A whole new world is just beginning to open to you.

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.