DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a newly single father to a 4-year-old girl. I am writing to you for a slightly embarrassing but important reason to me: I can't do my daughter's hair. I know there are many more pressing issues in the world right now, but I don't want my little girl to feel she is missing out because she doesn't have a mother who can braid her hair. I have tried to learn through YouTube videos to no avail. How can I make sure my daughter can be proud of her hairstyles? -- Not a Hairdressing Daddy, Dallas

DEAR NOT A HAIRDRESSING DADDY: It takes time to become proficient at hairdressing -- well, time, skill and the right products. I recommend that you find a local hair salon that does children's hair and take your daughter there for a consultation and braiding. Ask the hairdresser to teach you how to do your daughter's hair. Offer to pay for counsel. Ask what products are best for her so that you can purchase them. Then watch closely as your daughter's hair is done. When it's time to do her hair again, practice when you have a bit of time so that you don't get frustrated being on the clock.

You may also want to ask for guidance from mothers of children in your daughter's class who have similar hair texture, or even neighbors whose children have hair like hers.

DEAR HARRIETTE: After an embarrassing breakup, I completely cut my ex-boyfriend out of my life. I don't respond to any messages he sends me and have unfollowed him on all social media. I have no regrets about this and am happily finding myself after this breakup.

You can imagine my surprise when, a few months after the breakup, I began receiving messages from his mother. I respect her greatly and think it would be rude to ignore her so I responded; however, I feel as though she is being used as a pawn to keep me communicating with my ex. Is there any way to completely cease communication with my ex's family without being disrespectful? His mother was a gem to me every time I saw her. -- Moving Up and On, Washington, D.C.

DEAR MOVING UP AND ON: Out of respect for your ex-boyfriend's mother, be honest with her. The next time she calls, tell her that you feel a bit awkward speaking to her now since the two of you broke up, and it was a bad breakup. You may want to ask her if she is aware of what happened and how you feel about it. Either way, make it clear to her that you need to move away from him entirely for your own healing. While you enjoyed knowing his mother during your time together, it is too painful for you now to communicate with her.

Your honesty is important, as you have no idea what her son has told her. For all you know, she may be missing you and wanting you back in the family and thinking that there is a chance. Let her know that the door is closed, based on the circumstances of your breakup. Tell her you respect her tremendously, but you have to cut ties with his family.

(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 Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband wears dentures, upper and lower. When he drinks too much, he sometimes spits out his dentures, and we are all left scrambling around the house trying to find them. On a couple of occasions, he didn't find them before Monday, and he had to go to work toothless. He works in an industry that reveres youth. Having no teeth is about as bad an image as he could project when trying to ensure that his job is safe.

What can I say to him to get him to take better care of his teeth, like putting them in their container before bed and not drinking so much that he can't remember in the first place? I'm worried about him during a time when young people are ruling his industry. He is not young. -- Lost Teeth, Baltimore

DEAR LOST TEETH: The misplaced dentures may be indicative of a bigger issue. Your husband seems to lack faith in himself. It can't hurt for him to believe that you have faith in him, too. The humiliation of exposed tooth loss is huge. That your husband would have lost his awareness of time and place -- and teeth! -- suggests that he is in an emotionally fragile position. He may also have an alcohol problem. Do your best to support him. If you can get him to listen, gently tell him that when he gets drunk, the teeth go flying. Suggest, at minimum, that he put the teeth away before taking too many drinks. You may be able to get him to choose to be more alert to what's happening before him in real time, including slowing down on the alcohol.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I thought I hit a child with my car last week. I then panicked and sped over a curb. I didn't end up hitting the child (just his bike wheel), but he was knocked off the bike regardless. His parents chose to not contact authorities.

I don't feel like I am safe behind the wheel, but I need to drive to work and around my mostly rural area. I can't stop driving, yet I am a danger to myself and others. I never use my phone behind the wheel and rarely listen to music, so the fact just lies in the reality that I am a bad driver. Is there anything I can do about this? I hate to feel uneasy while driving. -- Crashing Cars, Richmond, Virginia

DEAR CRASHING CARS: Take a driver's education class. It doesn't matter your age. Becoming familiarized once again with the rules of the road and your ability to navigate them is imperative. Give yourself credit for questioning your agency on the road.

If you find that you cannot slip into comfort behind the wheel, you must consider next steps. Are there carpools or buses that will get you to work on time? If so, engage that now. It's better to ask for support when you don't need it! You will ultimately need to be honest and tell your core group that you need help. If you cannot rally enough support from friends and family or professional services, you may need to move to a city with more services.

(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 Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR READERS: Happy Thanksgiving! It's hard to believe that a year has zipped by since we last celebrated our coming together of family and loved ones. And yet it has. At markers like this holiday, I typically stop to reflect on where we are and from whence we have come. This year is no different.

There's something that has become clearer to me over the course of this year, namely that we all move at different paces. The way that each of us sees our world dramatically affects the way that we engage our friends and loved ones and the way that we feel about the chain of events that forms our lives. Navigating our relationships effectively requires noticing where we are in conjunction with our friends.

What do I mean by this? Typically, older people have a lot of free time and a lot less money. They often want to connect with the people they care about the most at the very time that those people -- children and grandchildren, in particular -- are so busy living their lives that they do not realize that their elders are yearning to connect. Working parents of growing children are often balancing their work schedules with homework, discipline and paying bills. Their children may wish for more one-on-one time, while the parents wish for the safety and happiness of their progeny. Friends without children long for the good old days when their friends with spouses and children were available to talk or hang out.

And the list goes on. Somehow, at Thanksgiving we choose to suspend our realities and, if only for a moment, pay closer attention to the people we love. Because it may only happen once a year, that pause doesn't always work so well. Pent-up, unprocessed feelings and unresolved experiences do not go away just because you decide to open your eyes. Too often, the tensions flare back up.

How can we manage this? Start with kindness and compassion. You can also lead with an apology of sorts. State to your loved ones that you are sorry you have not been as present as they would have liked. Conversely, if you have been too needy and demanding, apologize for that. Ask your loved ones to agree to enjoy the time you have together and, to the best of everyone's ability, to stay in the present. If you have unresolved issues that truly need attention, agree on a time to talk through those things. But do your best not to make it an ongoing conversation for the entire visit.

By slowing down and taking the time to be fully present with your family and friends, you create space for fellowship to heal whatever old wounds may be lingering. This is not to say that you will miraculously fix all of your problems, but it can be a head start for how you will engage each other in the coming year. Promise to call your elders more often. Agree not to be as demanding as you were in the past. Pledge to make time for the people who matter most. Then schedule it in your calendar so that, moving forward, you actually do what you say.

(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 Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)