DR. WALLACE: I am 15 years old and my parents are both over 50 years old. They didn’t get married until they were both well into their mid 30s. My folks do take good care of me and they love me for sure. They also study every aspect of my life before they make big decisions regarding me. Sometimes I like this, but other times I don’t because they don’t always let me do everything I want to do.
I have friends and have also seen other kids’ parents who are much younger than mine! It sometimes makes me feel self-conscious and like I have grandparents for parents. Am I being too sensitive about this, or do I really have old parents? — Teen with older peeps, via email
TEEN WITH OLDER PEEPS: It doesn’t matter how old your parents are. What matters is that they love you and that they take good care of you. Your letter indicates this is indeed the case, so I suggest you count your blessings in this regard. Many children around the world would treasure and cherish the opportunity to have two loving parents in their home with them.
You can also look at your situation with a different angle, and it’s a good one. Because your parents are a bit older than the average of the other students at your school, they are wiser and more experienced. You even mentioned that they carefully make decisions regarding your life after giving issues deep thought. I’d say you have two really great parents, so be thankful you do!
WHAT TO DO ABOUT CIGARETTES?
DR. WALLACE: I found a pack of cigarettes in my 11-year-old daughter’s room. Neither my husband nor I smoke, so we are dumbfounded as to where these smokes came from.
The interesting thing is that the pack is unopened and it appears that all 20 cigarettes are still under the plastic seal wrapper. What should I do now? I don’t want to start an uproar in our family, but I don’t want to ignore what I’ve found either. How do you feel my husband and I should handle this? — Worried mother, via email
WORRIED MOTHER: Maybe your daughter could have found them somewhere and took them home for some reason, perhaps curiosity. Sometimes when children find items they know they shouldn’t have, it’s quite tempting to hold onto them and then “show them off” to other kids to see what kind of reaction it will garner.
In my opinion, it would be best to immediately ask your daughter how she got the cigarettes and to do so in a calm, easy tone of voice without even a hint of accusatory tone. Then, stay quiet and let her answer you. Her reply will reveal a great deal to you, and will guide the next steps you’ll take from there.
Even if her explanation sounds quite innocent, be sure to tell her exactly what cigarettes are and just how dangerous they are to the human body.
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.
