Character Isn’t Measured by Height

DR. WALLACE: I'm responding to the letter from a 16-year-old girl who was being taunted by her girlfriends because she was taller than her boyfriend. I went through high school being self-conscious about my height. At age 13, I was already 5 feet 7 inches tall and taller than most of my teachers. I met and married a wonderful guy who is shorter than I am.

Sixteen years after our marriage, a semi-truck hit a car I was riding in, and I suffered a broken spine. For the past 30 years, I have been confined to a wheelchair. You can now say that I am 4 feet 5 inches tall and look up to my husband, who is a giant of a man. To me, he is the tallest and most wonderful man on this earth. Every night I give thanks to the good Lord for blessing me with a perfect partner. - Melody, Rochester, N.Y.

MELODY: Thank you for your inspiring message. It will provide comfort to all couples in similar relationships who might feel a bit self-conscious about height difference. Character isn't measured in feet and inches.

I MADE ONE LITTLE MISTAKE

DR. WALLACE: I'm 19, and the girl I've been going with for two years told me she never wanted to see me again because of one little mistake, which I admitted to. If we don't get this patched up, then two years of our lives will have been wasted. Don't you think my girlfriend should be compassionate and forgive me? One little mistake isn't too bad, is it? - Brandon, Charlotte, N.C.

BRANDON: One little mistake? You don't say what it is and I won't speculate, but obviously it wasn't so little from the point of view of your "ex" girlfriend. Everything is relative. All you can do is apologize and ask forgiveness. If she chooses not to forgive you, your best bet is to learn from the mistake and get on with your life. And if you are fortunate to be in the company of another young lady, make sure your "one little mistake" doesn't happen again.

MY BEST FRIEND'S DATING A JERK

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and so is my very best friend, Tracey. Lately, Tracey has been dating a guy who is a total jerk. I told her so, but Tracey wouldn't listen to me. She is still seeing this guy. What can I do to convince her that she shouldn't be seeing him? - Lauren, Vancouver, Wash.

LAUREN: You did your part by warning Tracey that you feel the guy she is seeing is a total jerk. It's up to Tracey to decide if she wants to continue dating this guy. Who knows? Is it possible that your friend thinks she can influence him to change his ways?

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 rwallace@galesburg.net. 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.

COPYRIGHT 2012 CREATORS.COM