Dear Annie: I am a 15-year-old girl who is considered smart, fun, confident and pretty. I have never had problems with guys losing interest in me or avoiding me before, but my boyfriend, “Alec”, has been ignoring me on and off for the past two months. Neither of us is looking for some kind of super-committed relationship, but I feel very hurt and disappointed at the way he has been acting.

Alec and I will talk on the phone or text message, and everything is fine, and we part ways saying we will stay in touch and talk soon or hang out. But do we? No. He ignores my e-mails when I know he’s online. He won’t pick up the phone when I call, and after a week or two, I get mad and give up trying to reach him. Then he calls and acts like everything is totally normal. When I e-mail that I was starting to get worried, he replies “LOL” (laughing out loud). Even if I wasn’t his girlfriend, I would still be irked by his behaviour. I don’t think he should totally devote his life to me or anything. I just don’t think it’s nice to treat people this way. What do you think? — Confused Libr>Dear Libra$>We think you make Alec nervous. He’s trying very hard to prove that he isn’t at your beck and call. You need to back off, give him a lot more space, and find other things to occupy your time. Let him make the first move when he wants contact, even if it takes three weeks. (You’re more interesting to him when you aren’t so eager for his attention.) You may decide this isn’t the kind of relationship you want, but right now, it’s the only one Alec is offering.

Dear Anni<$>As I understand it, when there is a funeral car procession, it is polite to pull over to the side of the road. What should I do if I am on the interstate and come upon a funeral procession? Is it OK to pass them if they are only doing the minimum speed, or should I follow them? What about on a divided highway if they are on the other side? Thanks. — Dana

Dear Dana: It is respectful to pull over to the right to allow a funeral procession to pass. Otherwise, the main rules are that you should not get in between the cars in a procession, and you should yield the right-of-way in intersections. On highways, it is perfectly OK to pass the procession on the left (unless it is in the far left lane, in which case, you can pass on the right). You do not have to do anything at all when the procession is travelling on the other side of a divided highway. And thanks for being considerate enough to inqu.

Dear Annie: <$>This is for “Gifting Dilemma”, who didn’t want donations to charity in lieu of gifts.My mother-in-law knows we are uncomfortable with the consumerist frenzy at holiday time. We are quite fortunate and don’t need more stuff. I deeply appreciate that Mom makes donations to charities in our names as well as her own at Christmas. And she always checks to make sure we support the organisation’s goals. Of course, my in-laws give us lots of gifts throughout the year. They put up with our active family of five (plus dog) when we visit. They pay attention to our interests and activities. They have seen us through several health crises, and yes, they have helped us out financially over the years. My in-laws do not make donations out of laziness or lack of imagination, as Gifting Dilemma suggests. On the contrary, they have found yet another way to be generous. — Grateful for Donans<$>Dear Grateful: We heard from a great number of readers who agree, especially those who say they have everything they need, and donations make them feel good.