DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My boyfriend has a kid with his ex, so they have to meet up for custody swaps. Funny thing — well not so funny to me — is that every time we see her, his ex is either wearing nearly exactly what I had on the last time, or has done her hair, make-up, or nails how I usually do and she usually doesn’t.

I’ve known this woman since we worked together a few summers ago. She has completely different tastes and styles from me, yet now, she’s my “Mini-Me.”

I didn’t have an American Girl doll when I was a kid. Why should I have to have a living one now? --- REAL ME

DEAR REAL ME: Maybe the ex is hoping to replicate whatever it is you do that’s allowing you to succeed where she failed.

Saying something to her would only come off as catty, and since you’ve got the guy, you can afford to be magnanimous and let it go. If she doesn’t get a reaction from either you or your boyfriend, she may eventually tire of her imitation game.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My son is scheduled to leave the country for specialized training this fall, current circumstances permitting. I had told my son that since his lease is up in September anyway, if he needed to give up the apartment and leave his stuff with me while he is gone, I would be okay with it. I live alone and have plenty of space. I had also told him he could even crash here when he got back until he found a new apartment.

This was all discussed before his girlfriend moved in with him three months ago and was pregnant nearly immediately after that. It seems that the offer I made has been turned into his promise to his girlfriend that she would be able to stay with me and not be alone while he is gone, which he will be during the latter part of the pregnancy and up to the second month after delivery.

While I’m happy about the baby and really like my son’s girlfriend, this whole situation has put me on the spot. When I made the offer, I did not know this would turn into a double-package deal. I feel like I was not given a choice, but I also do not want to make things tougher for them.

I intend to let her stay, but should I make a big deal about how it all came about? --- SURPRISED IN MICHIGAN

DEAR SURPRISED IN MICHIGAN: I don’t see any reason you can’t express your surprise at how things are turning out. So long as you’re going with the flow, then go with it, but don’t set yourself up for being a permanent pushover. What you may want to make very clear — if it’s the case — is that this is a temporary situation. It might not be that they’re taking advantage of you, but unless everyone’s on the same page from the get-go, trouble could pop up down the road.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Mom passed away last summer, and Dad asked me to help go through things so he can get the house ready to be put on the market. When I was helping him, I came across some old photos of my mom and another man posing together in wedding clothes.

I asked my dad about the pictures I found, but he said he did not want to talk about it. That it was my mother’s private story, and that I should not poke my nose into it.

I think that my mother’s being married to someone before my dad is a pretty big deal. I cannot believe I never knew about this, and when I spoke to my aunt, my mom’s sister, I got the same reaction as I did from my dad.

Do I let this story die with my mom? It hurts that my parents never trusted me with this information. What if I have a whole other family somewhere that I will never know about? --- DAUGHTER OF A SECRET KEEPER

DEAR DAUGHTER OF A SECRET KEEPER: It would probably be fairly easy to track down the records of a previous marriage, but it still may not provide all the answers you seek.

I get your curiosity and your hurt, but I also think you need to accept that, for whatever reason, this was part of her past your mother purposely chose not to share with you.

We all have our secrets, some of which we keep even from those we love best. It doesn’t mean your mother loved you and the life she built with your father any less than you always had reason to believe she did before your recent discovery.