DEAR HARRIETTE: I got an email with an invitation for an event that sounds eerily like an event that I have been planning. The organizer is a woman I know, and I'm almost certain that I shared my idea with her a few months ago. Never mind the fact that I haven't gotten my act together to make my event happen, but she is the last person I would have imagined to steal my idea. Now, here's my predicament: I didn't copyright the party plan. I don't think I have legal legs to stand on, but I really do want to tell this woman how disappointed I am that she would steal my idea. Do you think I should say something or just move on? -- Late to the Party, New York City

DEAR LATE TO THE PARTY: Your story proves something that is common wisdom -- keep your ideas to yourself until you manifest them. Obviously, you may want to talk to a small think tank of folks you trust, but it is easy for someone else to bite off of a good idea that is in the air. It is quite possible that this woman may not even remember your initial idea. It is possible that she did not get the idea from you, either. It's uncanny how multiple people can ride a trend at the very same time, often without knowing each other at all.

That said, if you honestly believe you told this woman about your idea, you can contact her and let her know that you are concerned that she borrowed from your idea. The best you will likely get is an apology. You can consult an attorney, but without some type of legal documentation that proves that this idea started as your intellectual property, it is unlikely that you will be able to wrestle back control.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Prom is in three weeks, and I still do not have a date. I am really stressed and upset about this, especially because all of my other friends have dates. My friends have been trying to help me figure out who to go with, but the process has been a disaster. Every person who I think could be a possible date already has one. I am stuck, and I do not want to go to prom alone. My friends are getting annoyed at me because I cannot think of anyone else, but they don't understand how I feel. Would it be better to go to prom alone or with a total stranger? -- Frustrated, Los Angeles

DEAR FRUSTRATED: Do one more search for potential dates, including any fun neighbors or family members. If you still come up short, consider going alone or identifying other students at your school who are dateless and inviting them to go with you as a group. This usually works best when the stag party is part of the same friend group.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Over the years, I have always been the poor one in my family. My siblings have made a lot more money than me, and they have supported me in all kinds of ways. Of course, I appreciate their generosity, but I want to pull my weight, too. The other day I had lunch with my brother at a local restaurant, and the meal was quite affordable, so when the check came, I immediately reached to pay for it. My brother shrugged me off and paid the tab. I tried to tell him that I wanted to take care of it, but he wouldn't listen. Should I leave well enough alone or follow up and let him know that I am making an effort to contribute more now that I am earning a little more money? -- Not Totally Broke, Los Angeles

DEAR NOT TOTALLY BROKE: There is no need to go to your siblings to complain about not being allowed to foot the tab for a meal. They have become accustomed to paying for your tab and expect that they will handle it. Since you are not in a position to pay regularly for whatever may come up, don't protest this. Instead, do little things that show your appreciation to your family members. You can write them notes expressing your gratitude. You can send or give them small gifts that you believe they would like that show your love. And next time you go to an affordable restaurant, you can announce in advance that you will be picking up the check.

DEAR HARRIETTE: It is the end of the school year, and it is customary to give gifts to the teachers. I have gotten emails from other parents asking for money for a group gift. While I know that this is what people do, I feel uncomfortable about being forced to participate. Is it wrong for me to buck the group plan and give on my own? I understand that we have a limit on the amount of money that each family gives, but what if I decide to give a small amount or even if my child gives something she makes rather than money? How can I present this to the class parents so that my child doesn't end up being the outcast? -- Against the Shakedown, Atlanta

DEAR AGAINST THE SHAKEDOWN: Each school has a particular culture. You should be crystal clear about yours before you make a decision. Check school policy. It may be that classes typically give as a unit. If so, you can still tell the class parents that rather than giving cash, you choose to give a different type of gift.

That said, you may want to give a small monetary gift just so that you can be at least peripherally part of the class culture.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently received a Facebook friend request from a 14-year-old girl who attends the church where I serve as a deacon. I am uncomfortable with accepting her request for friendship. I do not know her that well; moreover, I will be concerned that grown men will try to friend her because they saw her on my page. This is my fourth week in the position, and I do not want any problems when I decline her friendship request. I am sure she does not see any harm in requesting friendship on Facebook. How do I tell her the reason why I did not accept her friendship without hurting her feelings? -- I Unfriend You, Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR I UNFRIEND YOU: Be honest with this young lady. When you see her at church, ask to speak to her for a moment. Tell her that you received her friend request and that you will not be able to accept it because you want to protect her and her privacy. Explain, as you did to me, that you do not want to expose her to your adult male friends. Social media can be dangerous territory when the exposure is too broad.

As a deacon of your church, talk to the church leadership about this. It is a topic worth contemplating as a church community that may end up as a content point to be shared with the congregation at some point in the future.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I took my girlfriend to a fast food restaurant a few days ago, where she decided to breastfeed our child. I have no problems with any woman who feeds her child in public. I believe there is a way you should feed them in public, though, without drawing attention to you and your child. My girlfriend did not care how she presented herself during the feeding session. She had a breast exposed, with no regard to the patrons who were in the restaurant, and I had men looking at my girlfriend's exposed breast, drooling. She is a free spirit, and I want to know how I can tell her the proper way to feed our child in public. Can you help me? -- A Mother's Nature, Detroit

DEAR A MOTHER'S NATURE: It is possible that your girlfriend didn't think twice about other people at all. She may be so focused on her child that she is oblivious to anything that is going on around her.

Your job is to up her awareness. Start by getting her a blanket that you give to her and tell her that it is to cover the baby and her when she nurses in public. Coming with a gift may help you start a conversation without an argument. You will need to tell her, though, that she may not realize it, but when she nurses without covering herself, she exposes her breast to all who are around her. Tell her that you do not think this is appropriate. Being discreet will help her to remain comfortable nursing wherever she needs to do so without being disruptive to those in her line of sight.