DR. WALLACE: My parents just went through a bitter divorce. My mom and dad really have a hard time even looking at or speaking with each other these days. I'm 16, and this is the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life. I love both parents, but I do feel a bigger connection with my dad.

My parents are now experiencing money problems on top of all of the other things they are dealing with. My dad had a good job, but my mother always had a spending problem, and this created a lot of family debt, which led to them having difficulty paying their bills. My mom had a lot of credit cards and would buy what appeared to me to be unnecessary things, and some of them were very expensive.

Now that my mom has a job, she says she's going to cut up the credit cards and start saving money. But so far, I haven't seen any change in her, and she still uses many of her credit cards each week. I know she wants to try to change, but I don't think she ever will do what she has said she'd do to cut back her spending.

I miss my dad a lot. I see him once a week, but I wish I saw him every day. I want to live with my father full time, but my mother says no. My mother was awarded custody of me last year, so I've remained here with my mom since then. My dad told me he wanted me to move in with him whenever I felt like I wanted to, but he lives alone now, and he travels out of town for his sales job several days a week, so that would leave me alone a lot if I did live there. What can I do to live with my dad as soon as possible? — Unhappy Teen, via email

UNHAPPY TEEN: I'm sorry that you're caught in the middle of the battle between your parents. Until you are 18 years old, your mother will likely have custody of you, and you cannot move in with your father without her permission.

So, in the meantime, be as loving as possible to both parents, and encourage your mom to do the right thing with her finances. Do ask your father to visit you as much as he can, and seek to keep your relationship with him as close as you possibly can.

LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR A DATE

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 years old, and I have had a girlfriend before. My best friend is a girl, and I want her to be more than a friend. I want her to go out with me. We have so much in common and enjoy each other's company.

This girl and I talk often on the phone — almost every night — and I help her with her family problems and her homework. I've actually asked her out before, and she said she thinks of me more as her brother and not someone she would be comfortable dating. What can I do to get her to look at me differently and then to realize that it's in her best interest to go out on a few dates with me so that our physical relationship can begin? — Want More Than Friends, via email

WANT MORE THAN FRIENDS: I don't believe there is anything you can do in this type of situation. As long as she thinks of you as her brother, she won't be anywhere close to being comfortable enough to go out on a formal date with you.

My advice is to remain friends with her, but look elsewhere for a date. In fact, since she is such a good friend, you can likely ask her to introduce you to some other girls who may be compatible with you, and she just might be comfortable enough with this idea to help you in this regard.

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.

Photo credit: 5688709 at Pixabay