DR. WALLACE: I am a girl who's 13 and in seventh grade, and I'm curious to know why 95% of the 13-year-old boys at my school are grossly immature. They talk out of turn, laugh at bodily noises and eat like they are farm animals at the trough, most of them with their mouths open. Let's just say they're beyond immature and gross.

Why is this? Could it be as simple as the part of the country or state I live in? I do my best to ignore them all, but it's pretty hard to do with all the gross sounds they're constantly making. And worst of all, they all think each other is the funniest guy they've ever met! — Fed Up With Immature Guys, via email

FED UP WITH IMMATURE GUYS: Unfortunately for you, there's likely a two-year window where you're going to be experiencing some of the same "young guy" symptoms that you are presently.

Mother nature certainly has a hand in this, as female teenagers tend to mature mentally a few years ahead of their male counterparts.

The good news for you is that by the time you reach high school, there should be a noticeable upgrade in the maturity level of your male classmates. Until then, do your best to stick to your studies and ignore the nonsense that goes on around you from time to time. At least it's your teachers' responsibility to keep them in line at this point in their lives!

MY PUTDOWN OF HIS ACTIONS HAS TRIGGERED AN AVALANCHE

DR. WALLACE: I am a 16-year-old girl and I've had the same boyfriend for the last four months. I'll turn 17 in January, and my mother has been telling me for the last two months to give myself the birthday present of breaking up with my boyfriend, since she doesn't like him at all.

Yes, we've had our ups and downs in our relationship, but for most of that time, the good has outweighed the bad by roughly 60% to 40%.

But something happened three days ago when my boyfriend did some really stupid things out of peer pressure from some of his unsavory friends, and I made the mistake of calling him a "pathetic loser" when I saw the bad and really unsavory things he did together with them.

Instead of him considering why I would make a comment like that, since he did some pretty bad and ignorant things, he instead unleashed a tirade of really mean, nasty and detailed putdowns directed at me and also at each of my parents, and even at my brother! I'll spare you all the details, but he criticized my looks, the way I dress, my weight, my intelligence and various things (that aren't true) about each of my parents, and he even attacked my brother for being a "total jerk" and the "real loser."

After his 15-minute rant, I got tired of trying to reason with him, so I simply left and haven't spoken to him for the last few days. I'm of course considering breaking up with him permanently, but I'm also weighing the fact that he's good to get along with and treats me well about 60% of the time.

I also kind of don't want to leave him now because it will give my mother the satisfaction of saying "I told you so." How do I make a decision about staying with or leaving him now, especially when I'm the one who started the argument by calling him a "pathetic loser?" — I Actually Started This, via email

I ACTUALLY STARTED THIS: I feel you're truly missing the big picture here. I'll start by saying that, for the record, he actually triggered this entire downward spiral by succumbing to peer pressure and making extremely bad decisions in the first place. Yes, you compounded that by making an unwise comment putting him down out of frustration.

But once that happened, he revealed a lot of his true thoughts and his true personality by unleashing a torrent of mean and crude putdowns of you and your family. This is not the behavior of someone likely to be compatible with you over the long run. In addition to that, by your own admission, he only treats you correctly about 60% of the time. This is not simply a red flag but rather a series of red flags.

You'd be wise to step aside and let this relationship fade away as quickly as possible. Don't even consider staying in such a poor relationship simply because your mother may make a comment you find uncomfortable in the short run. You are responsible for yourself, your relationships and the direction of your own life. Focus on that entirely and make a good decision for yourself here.

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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