DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my teenage daughter’s friends gave her a very pretty ring for her birthday. She doesn’t like it, but she feels obligated to wear it and keep it. I told her she could exchange it if she is never going to wear it. She thinks it is disrespectful if she returns it. I don’t know what do to. What do you think? -- Ring Girl, Chicago
DEAR RING GIRL: Talk to your daughter about her relationship with this friend. How close are they? How often do they spend time together? If your daughter thinks she will see this friend a lot, she may want to wear the ring a couple of times and make sure that her friend sees her wearing it. After that, she can put it in her jewelry box and forget about it. If she and the girl are not close, she can return it or exchange it for something she prefers. If asked, she can thank the girl again for the ring and tell her that she replaced it with a ring that was better suited for her.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)