DR. WALLACE: Last week, I broke up with my girlfriend because I was bored with her. We had really fallen into a rut, and every day was as boring as the one before. Finally, I just couldn’t take it any longer, so I broke the news over hamburgers and shakes at our local fast-food diner.
She cried right then on the spot, then babbled a lot and said she would wait for me till I come back to her! I’m only 16 years old and I feel that I can find someone I like better and who fits better with me. She’s also 16 and she’s very pretty, so I think she’ll get asked out by other guys right away once they hear we broke up. I’m not big on drama and I don’t want to hurt her feelings, but I don’t want her to think that in a few weeks, we’ll just start back up again like before. I can already tell that we are long-term incompatible. So, given all of this, is ignoring her drama going to be a good game plan from here? — Ready To Move On, via email
READY TO MOVE ON: Wow, I’m both a tad ruffled and impressed by your use of the phrase “long-term incompatible.” The fact that you’re both 16 indeed is a good reason to think that you’ll each have many other opportunities to date others during your teen years and beyond.
I suggest that you don’t ignore her, but don’t lead her on further from here. Take the time to tell her that you will always consider her a great friend and tell her just how pretty you feel she is as well. Tell her you feel that your two personalities just don’t match up, but that’s all right because everyone is different. Tell her you’ll be there if she wants to know about the character of any other guys you know who she may date in the future.
You’re both young and at the beginning of your respective “dating careers,” so do the right thing and think about how you’d feel if the roles were reversed. It always pays to be a gentleman when exiting a relationship, especially at your age.
I’M WORRIED ABOUT ENTERING MIDDLE SCHOOL
DR. WALLACE: I am the oldest child in my family of three kids, and I am going to begin my first year of middle school this fall. I want to know what to expect from middle school so I can be prepared; can you help me?
By middle school, I mean that in September I’ll be entering the seventh grade. Our local middle school has only two grades, seventh and eighth; we go off to high school for four years after that.
I know middle school is not high school, but I’m still a bit intimidated by just thinking about it and how fast I’m growing up. I’m not an elementary school kid anymore. — Nervous About the Next Level, via email
NERVOUS ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL: Based upon my experience, you can expect homework every day in all your classes at this level, so plan to take your academics seriously.
Middle school is intended to be a “pre-high school” launching pad, and it gives students their first opportunity to attend various classes with different teachers at different hours (called periods) of the day. It’s a lot to keep track of at first, but don’t worry. Your teachers know this and remember that every student in your classes will be going through the same transition.
Due to the pandemic, some schools may have remote learning this fall, while others will offer on-campus classes in person. If you physically go to your middle school, you’ll likely find it has a much larger campus with a lot more teachers and students milling around. Teachers at this level can be strict and have a lot of rules. I suggest you purchase an organizer or daily planner so you can be as organized as you can. You will now be entering a new world where students quickly realize time-management skills are essential.
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.