Shoplifting can be Thrilling Until Arrested

DR. WALLACE: I recently moved to my grandparents' house in Irvine, Calif., because my parents are going through a nasty breakup. Two days before Christmas, a friend I just met at my new school invited me to go to a big mall in Newport Beach. Her mother was to drop us off and pick us up three hours later. My grandmother agreed that I could go.

The mall was by the ocean, and it was very large and beautiful. My friend and I visited a lot of shops. I bought gifts for my mother, dad and both grandparents. Just before it was time for us to look for her mother, we went into a large department store. My friend left me for a while in the shoe department where I was looking at new shoes.

When my friend returned, she told me that it was time to meet her mother, so we had to hurry. But when we left the store, a man came up to us and told us to follow him. He took us into a back room where two ladies asked my friend to open up a bag that she was carrying. She did and in it was something she hadn't paid for. My friend started crying and said that she was sorry, but a lady called her mother. When her mother got to the store and found out her daughter had stolen a pair of sunglasses, she started crying. I was scared to death, but I had done nothing wrong, and I was allowed to call my grandmother to pick me up. Believe me, seeing my friend get caught shoplifting was a traumatic occurrence and it was even worse for my friend. I can say that I will never, ever steal anything! I would hope that sharing this experience has convinced all the teens who read your column to say the same. - Nameless, Irvine, Calif.

NAMELESS: Thanks for the excellent advice. Shoplifting is a very serious offense. If convicted, the guilty party can have a criminal record that can hinder future employment. Some teens shoplift for the thrill of it. It's a great source of excitement for them, until they get caught!

I'M PREGNANT AND WANT A HEALTHY CHILD

DR. WALLACE: I'm 19 and my husband is 21. Two weeks ago, we received wonderful news that we will be parents in six months. I'm going to do everything possible, so I can have a healthy baby. I will follow my doctor's advice 100 percent. My only worry is that three years ago, when I was dating a guy who used drugs, I smoked about 10 marijuana cigarettes but took no other drugs. I'm sorry that I smoked pot because I really didn't want to. Could my marijuana escapade cause my baby to have any birth defects? Please answer my question in the newspaper. This really concerns me, and I don't want my husband to know that I smoked pot. - Nameless, Chicago, Ill.

NAMELESS: Your brief encounter with marijuana three years ago would have no ill effects on any of your children. Birth defects caused by drugs or alcohol, occur only when drugs or alcohol are used during the pregnancy.

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.

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