DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: “D” and I have been good friends since we were 11 years old. Last month she told me in an email that she has realized she is gay after meeting another woman she is strongly attracted to. I am happy she met someone special, especially since up until now not too many of her relationships ended well for her.

I am perfectly fine with her lifestyle choices, but it makes me wonder if she ever felt anything other than friendship for me and I feel a little awkward when we are hanging out together because that question is always in the back of my mind.

Do I say something to clear the air or just get over it and get on with our friendship like it used to be? --- TO ASK OR NOT TO ASK

DEAR TO ASK: Your friend was honest with you. You need to decide if you’re ready to be honest with her.

If you believe not knowing how she feels about you sexually will permanently affect your friendship, then you need to talk to her about it.

After you have her answer, if you still want her to be a part of your life, then you have to come to terms with what she tells you. It’s a friendship you’ve both invested a lot of time in, and old friends don’t grow on trees.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: When I turned 18 and changed over my custodial bank accounts into regular ones, my mom insisted she be on the accounts too. Now she checks my banking activity on-line and is always telling me what I should do with my money.

Can you give me one good reason to not have her name taken off my accounts? --- SON OF A SNOOP

DEAR SON OF A SNOOP: If you truly believe your mother is out for your cash, you need to get her name off the accounts immediately. On the other hand, if you trust your mom, I can think of at least three good reasons to keep her onboard for a while.

Look at it as a precaution similar to leaving a key to your house with a reliable neighbor or trusted friend before going out-of-town. Such joint accounts can be a temporary peace of mind measure that’s especially useful for college students, young single military service members, or others who find themselves far from home for extended periods of time.

Parent/young adult child joint accounts have been referred to as money management with “training wheels.” Having a more experienced set of eyes on your accounts may come with the modest cost of having to listen to a parental lecture on what Mom considers less than sound spending habits, but that’s a small price to pay for a potentially invaluable safety net.

Many banks offer benefits like higher interest or fewer fees for bundled accounts. Hitching your accounts to your parents’ for a bit might help everyone save, or even make, a little extra cash.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder when I was still in high school. Since then I have had a couple of pretty bad episodes, much of which I don’t remember.

For the past six years I have been stable with the help of a good therapist and meds. I think I’m doing really good, but all I have to do is have a day when I’m grouchy or super happy and my mom gets all over me thinking I’m going into an episode. Is there any reason I can’t just have a good or bad day like everyone else? --- LIKE EVERYONE ELSE

DEAR LIKE: You’re certainly entitled to have good and bad days, just like the rest of the world. But you also need to understand there are people out there, like your mom, who have seen you in crisis and are going to tend to be concerned when they see something that looks a bit off. You may not remember everything that happened during your episodes, but some of your loved ones probably do, and you can bet they don’t want to see you in either emotional or physical pain or danger again.

So when it comes to cutting a little slack, it needs to go both ways. Look at the hovering as proof you have people around who are there for you in both good times and bad, and try to give them credit for their concern.