DR. WALLACE: I'm only 17, but I've noticed something that I think needs to be addressed, and I don't know exactly how to do it. My sister and I are being raised by our wonderful single mother, and our mom has this tradition of having three of her closest friends come over to our home for wine and cheese every Saturday afternoon for a few hours between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. My mom and one of her other friends only carefully sip one glass of wine, and they're more interested in trying the cheeses and having good conversations.

But the other two in the circle of my mom's friends drink way, way too much! By the end of their get-together, I'm pretty sure they've each had somewhere between three and five glasses of wine, and their behavior becomes wildly humorous as they're talking and laughing really loud about usually stupid things. But the worst part of all of this is that these two friends actually drive themselves home when this "event" is over!

I know they only live about 3 or 4 miles away from us each, but still, getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and driving even 4 miles that intoxicated is not cool at all. It's extremely dangerous to the general public and, of course, to themselves.

We teenagers get lectured endlessly by all kinds of adults to not be consuming alcohol, not be taking drugs, be careful about fentanyl, and never take a pill from anybody at any time, ever. This is all really good advice, and I understand why the adults harp about these topics. But what amazes me is that no one, including my mother, puts a stop to her friends driving home intoxicated from our house. Is there some way I could bring this up carefully to my mom, or should I keep my mouth shut since I'm "just" a teenager and they are all middle-aged women? — They Should Not Be Driving, via email

THEY SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING: You are absolutely the de facto adult in the room in this situation! Immediately speak to your mother about what you've witnessed, and have her make a commitment to you that she will rectify this very unwise and unsafe situation immediately.

Even if her friends are only driving home for a total of five minutes or less, it does not justify driving when inebriated. At the very least, they should take a rideshare company back and forth to your home, especially since they know in advance that they will be drinking beyond legal limits.

You will also be doing your mother a favor, as she at the very least has moral responsibility here, and she could potentially face legal exposure by providing the alcohol if a serious accident ever occurred. In today's day and age, it has never been easier to avoid getting behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or any other substance. Rideshare companies exist just about everywhere. Congratulations on having the courage to address this situation, and also be sure to follow through to make certain that the next Saturday rideshares are in place, or at the very least suggest that your mother pick them up and deliver them home safely.

OUR UNCLE LIVES IN THE LONG GONE PAST!

DR. WALLACE: Whenever our uncle — my father's older brother — comes by our house on a Saturday afternoon, he says the most crazy, corny things to all of us. My older brother, who is 22, comes home from college on the weekends sometimes, and if my uncle sees him, he'll literally call him a "yuppie puppy" even though my older brother is definitely not a yuppie, whatever that is.

And if we're playing wiffle ball in the backyard and one of us makes a nice catch or something, my uncle will say that play will be on the "ESPN highlights" on TV tonight. Of course it won't, but that's what he says to us in his illogical way.

It's like everything he mentions or talks about is beyond a parody of something that went on 30, 40 or even 50 years ago! Why do some uncles like this one insist on living in the past when there's a whole new modern world right here in front of us to focus on? — My Uncle Is a Walking Parody, via email

MY UNCLE IS A WALKING PARODY: This phenomenon is not unique to your specific uncle. Many people from the older generations semiautomatically look through the lens of their prior experiences from decades ago. With the rate of change in today's modern world, it's growing harder and harder for older citizens to keep up, and therefore some either subconsciously or even intentionally end up living in the past and having their discussions be much more relevant for a time such as the 1980s rather than the 2020s.

If you're up for it, you could pick one easy modern item to show him and explain to him briefly each time he visits your family. Perhaps over time, you could slowly turn the battleship of his mind around a little to at least absorb a bit of today's culture, tools and nomenclature.

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@thegreatestgift.com. 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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