Hey, Cherie!

This may seem like a stupid question, but is there any rule on who calls back first when a cell phone call is lost?

This happens to me almost every day — it is annoying when you are calling your friend back and getting their voice mail, while they are trying to call you back.

Why don't cell phone companies put in an automatic call-back setting when a call is lost, especially when neither person has ended the conversation by pushing the off button? I am 16 and make a lot of calls, and it's really starting to irritate me.

— Cell Unhappy

Hey, Cell!

I'm unhappy too, and maybe this is a good column to talk about the cell phone. (If you want to laugh, go watch Steve Martin's movie "Bowfinger" and look at the size of his cell phone; it wasn't all that long ago. And the movie is great, anyway.)

To get right to your question, here is Hey Cherie's Rule of Teen Life No. 56: The person who places the cell phone call is the one who calls back, if the call is dropped.

Arbitrary? Yes. Capricious? Yes.

More work for the person who made the call in the first place? Yes, but it's an easy way to avoid the voice mail fiasco that all of us have lived at one time or another. If you receive a call from your friend and the call is dropped, wait for your friend to call you back. If you make a call and it is dropped, you be the one to place the next call.

And give it a minute, so that the person on the other end realizes that the call has been dropped.

Meanwhile, here are some other rules that will make you a better citizen of the world:

— "Vibrate" is your friend.

— Keep your voice down.

— Use a hands-free device in the car. Scratch that: Don't talk at all if you're driving. If you need to talk, pull over. And for heaven's sake, don't text!

— Remember your ringtone. Keep it holy but not too annoying.

— If you only want to leave someone a voice mail, take a look at Slydial.

One last rule: If you have any doubt about whether to use your phone in a particular setting or location, don't dial.

Hey, Cherie!

Since gas prices have gone up so much, do you think that my parents should give me a bigger allowance? I am 17 and just starting to drive, and I have to pay for my own gas.

— Priced Out

Hey, Priced!

Let's see. If you're in school and you're driving, you're using maybe half of a tank per week. The difference between what you were paying a few months ago versus now is probably less than $10. This could be a good reason to add an hour to your part-time job or do a little baby-sitting.

Your parents have had to economize to deal with the new gas reality; it seems to me that you should do the same.

Cherie Bennett is a best-selling author of books for teens and young adults. Visit her website at www.cheriebennett.com. To find out more about Cherie Bennett and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.