Dear Annie: I am a 27-year-old mother, and I have a nephew, by marriage, who is 24. We’ll call him “Brandon”. He is a wonderful person with two small children.The problem is, Brandon lives 40 minutes away, and every time he visits, his three-year-old child is sitting in his lap in the car — in the driver’s seat. I’ve never seen either of the children buckled in. His live-in girlfriend, who is the mother of these children, usually holds the younger one in her lap.

I don’t understand how they cannot see the harm in this. It only takes one little accident and the children would be dead. I’ve told Brandon that he must put them in car seats and buckle them up, but he doesn’t listen. They do have a car seat for the baby, but it’s not strapped into the vehicle, so what good is that?

How can I protect my great-niece and great-nephew? I’m infuriated and scared to death at the same time. I know they would never forgive themselves if their children were hurt when it could have been prevented. Please help. — Angry Auntie in Kentuck>Dear Angry Auntie: We are shocked by your nephew’s lack of interest in his children’s welfare. He is not only foolish but guilty of child endangerment. It is not safe for Dad to hold a child on his lap while driving, even if Dad is belted in. In even a minor crash, the child would be crushed between Dad and the steering wheel. It is not safe for Mom to hold a child on her lap, either, because at impact, that child could be crushed or thrown.According to the National Safety Belt Coalition, even after the child’s body comes to a complete stop, their internal organs are still moving forward. This can cause serious or fatal injuries. If this information doesn’t wake up your nephew, we’d report him to the police the next time he drives off. Better angry than grievinB>Dear Annie: <$>I just started high school, and my brother is in kindergarten. I have calmly and maturely tried to convince my parents to let our family get a dog, but they just say, “Not yet”.Several years ago, we had to put both of our cats to sleep, and since then, we have only owned pond fish. My parents constantly remind me that pets interfere with travelling, they can be expensive and that our family is not ready to be responsible for an animal. I have stated that I would be able to handle a lot of responsibility in caring for the dog, but still Mom and Dad have told me to wait.

How can I prove to my parents that our time as a family together is slipping away, and sooner is better than later to get a dog? — Lonely Teen Lacking a DogWe suspect your parents worry that your enthusiasm will wear off after a few weeks and they will be stuck walking the dog in the early hours of a cold morning. We think dogs are great, so ask your grandparents, uncles, aunts and family friends to intercede for you, but ultimately it’s your parents’ decision.

Dear Ann <$>I read the letter from “Confused in California”, who thinks her husband may be gay. You told her to get checked for STDs, “just in case he’s been playing both sides of the fence”.If the man or woman were only playing one side of the fence, would you tell the person to get checked for STDs? The subtext to your message seems to be that only gay men have STDs. — Jamaica Plain, Massachuts<$>Dear Jamaica Pn: <$>You weren’t the only reader angry with us over this, and the misunderstanding is entirely our fault. Here’s what we should have said: Get checked for STDs, in case your husband is cheating.