DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: When my husband was still a kid he found out he is color blind. He sees color, as he explains it, just not the way non-color blind people do. If I show him something that’s green or red, he knows which is which, but they are not the way I see them.

Because of his color-deficient vision I can’t let him go clothes shopping by himself because what he thinks is fine can be anything but, and he is not allowed a say in the paint colors I pick for our home.

He says this means I’m trying to be controlling and treating him like a child, but I just have an idea of how I want my house to look and I don’t want him to be embarrassed if he dresses in a weird ensemble.

Does this make me controlling, or just concerned? --- NOT COLOR BLIND

DEAR NOT COLOR BLIND: Giving your husband an equal say in his environment and how he dresses is a sign of respect and support. Even though he isn’t able to see colors the same way you do, he’s a grown man with ideas of how he wants to dress and how his home looks and feels to him.

If he turns to you for guidance, that’s one thing. However, your insistence on you both living by your opinions and tastes exclusively indicates an unbalanced, unhealthy relationship to me.

A little give and take and a whole lot of respect are the backbones of a successful marriage. Without them, it’s not difficult to see why your husband’s feeling like his opinions don’t matter at all if they conflict with yours.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I have always been big into hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing. My girlfriend sort of tolerates doing some of these things, especially the hiking, but for the most part, she would much, much rather be shopping, binging shows and movies, or just hanging out with her friends, or going out to different kinds of restaurants, which I’m into doing too.

This summer I want to hit Yellowstone NP for a week. I went there with my family when I was a teenager, and remember there was a lot to see and plenty of easy trails.

I already booked the famous Old Faithful Inn late last year to make it as comfortable and special as possible for my girlfriend. If it were up to me, we would have camped, but I want to make sure she’ll be more open to the trip.

I want to propose during the trip. I want it to be a surprise, but I do not want the surprise to be she wants no part of the trip. Last year, when I booked a long weekend at a cabin in a state park, she said no way, and I ended up going with my brother and his wife.

How do I make sure my girlfriend will go with me on this trip, which means so much to me? --- NEED HER TO GO WITH ME

DEAR NEED HER TO GO WITH ME: I think you were smart to book nice accommodations, with all the conveniences, rather than risk your girlfriend’s turning you down due to her dislike of roughing it.

Having also once visited Yellowstone, I too recall the large variety of things to explore and easy trails to take to get to the highlights; and once you get away from the hottest tourist attractions in the park, there’s beautiful scenery galore that fewer people venture out to enjoy.

Perhaps these are some of the arguments you can make to convince your girlfriend that this’ll not be exactly a backcountry hike, but rather, truly a walk in the park.

To reinforce your claim, maybe you could encourage her to check out the park, it’s surroundings, and the inn online for herself. Hopefully, she’ll realize there’s something to appeal to most varieties of visitors at and around Yellowstone.

To sweeten the pot, you might offer a quid pro quo in the form of promising to let her pick your next couples adventure. If she’s willing to explore the sulfur springs with you, then a visit to her favorite shopping venue is the least you can do in my book.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I am an administrator in a small IT company. It took some getting used to being around nerds all day long, but I’ve come to understand them and how they are.

Over the years I’ve gotten close to a couple of my coworkers. It isn’t easy, since the people I work with are mostly introverts.

One of my friends from work is not only smart, but super sweet, and I think a hottie. I tease him about it all the time, but he never knows how to take it.

He’s come to dinner at my house a bunch of times, and the last couple of times, we had single young women from my husband’s office over in the hopes something would spark with my shy friend.

All through the meals and after I watched how he was reacting to the new women. They were both very pretty and chill, not at all loud or pushy. We figured they were both possible good matches for my friend. He seemed engaged, but it’s hard to tell with him.

When I saw him at work after each dinner and asked him if he had a good time, he said he did, and I believed him. When I asked him if he was interested in our other guest, he blushed and got all tongue-tied. When I asked if he wanted me to put him in touch with either woman, he got even more awkward, so I let it drop.

I know he’s shy and all that, but when he’s around people he’s comfortable with, like at work or when it’s just me and my husband, he is funny and relaxed. He would be a caring and kind boyfriend if only he’d let someone get close to him.

What else can I do to convince him he should give himself and a little romance a try? --- FRIEND OF A SHY GUY

DEAR FRIEND OF A SHY GUY: You’ve put your shy friend in the way to meet someone twice already, and neither resulted in a love connection. Maybe he’s just looking to you to be a friend, and not a matchmaker, and that’s more than fine.

Given what you’ve said about him, he might indeed be a catch, but he’s got to do his own fishing when and if the time and circumstances are right for him.

In the meanwhile, I’d say just enjoy his friendship and focus on what makes him happy and at ease when you’re together socially.