DR. WALLACE: I'm an only child, a boy who is 15, and I live with my single mother. The only other relative in our town is her mother, my grandmother.

We all get along fine, and my mom has been an excellent parent to me. My grandmother and I have always been friendly and gotten along well too. But the other day she told me that it's going to be time pretty soon for me to get a job and start bringing in money to help my family!

What's strange is, my mother has never mentioned any of this to me. Now all of a sudden, I feel pressure, like our family is in financial trouble. What should I do about this? — Grandma Wants Me Working, via email

GRANDMA WANTS ME WORKING: Find a good time to bring up the conversation you had with your grandmother to your mother. Be sure you're speaking to her alone, with Grandma not in the vicinity.

Tell your mother openly and honestly what Grandma said to you, and let your mom know that you will always help her to the very best of your ability with anything she needs help with. If your family truly does need to have more money coming in, your mother would be the person who could guide you as to how you could help her with any ideas that would help the family. You and I don't know what was in your grandmother's mind, whether this was a sincere issue or just a flippant comment she made to you for one reason or another.

Don't feel pressured to take any action at all other than speaking to your mother openly and earnestly about what your grandma said to you.

SHOULD I PLAY ON THE TEAM GIVEN MY ADVANTAGES?

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 13-year-old girl, and I have matured physically much more than virtually every one of my classmates and even other girls in the county I live in.

Because of my height, weight and stature, many friends and family members are encouraging me to play sports, particularly basketball. I've always been athletic, but sports have never been a major passion of mine, even though I do enjoy playing a pickup basketball or softball game from time to time.

Do you think I should go out for the girls basketball team because of the physical advantages I currently have? I've only played on the playground with some friends of mine, and of course I dominated them easily. It may be fun to dominate another school if I'm lucky enough to be able to do so at least for a while. What do you think? — I Have Physical Advantages, via email

I HAVE PHYSICAL ADVANTAGES: My short answer is to follow your heart and your own mind. Don't play sports simply because you're trying to please family members, friends or anyone else for that matter.

But similarly, don't discount the opportunity to take advantage of your physical gifts and give it a try simply because people have encouraged you to do so. The choice is yours, and if you do decide to play on the girls basketball team, I think you'll enjoy the experience. Each season you only have to commit to that particular season, as you're not signing up to play for the next four or five years. With that as a backdrop, it's likely worth giving it a try to see what you think. You'll have to attend practices, be disciplined, learn plays and defensive strategies, and play within a team unit.

But along with that, you'll build a lot of camaraderie with your teammates, coaches and others who are there to guide you and help you to realize your ability to its best potential. Sports are great developmental tools for many high school and intermediate school students but only for those to choose to do it voluntarily. Give it some thought, and if you're up for the challenge, give it a try.

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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