DEAR ABBY: I'm a 15-year-old sophomore. People in my class openly share their opinions and act disgusted when a slightly older man and a younger woman are together, or vice versa.
I get offended when my classmates make these comments because my mom is 39 and my stepfather is 27. They love each other very much, and I don't think age should interfere. Am I oversensitive because I'm offended by these comments? -- AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
DEAR AGE: Becoming offended solves nothing, unless the comments are made specifically about your mom and stepdad. It's my observation that people with little life experience tend to be judgmental about things they know nothing about, and 15-year-olds are no exception. Perhaps when your classmates are older, they'll realize that people don't fall in love "by the numbers" and that it's a mistake to generalize.