DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a strict father who married a woman with two daughters who do as they please. They keep their rooms clean, work and do well in school; however, I am bothered that they don't feel the need to tell me where they are going or who they are going with. This isn't how I raised my children.

I don't want to make enemies of my new daughters; I just want them to keep me in the loop regarding their whereabouts. I have heard them fighting with their mother that they don't have to report back to me because they don't use my car or money, but they live under my roof. Do they get to go wherever they want just because that's how it worked before we all moved in together? -- Not on My Watch, Belair, Maryland

DEAR NOT ON MY WATCH: Blending families has never been easy. What's most important is for you and your wife to come to an agreement on how to parent her children. While she obviously gets most of the authority, you do have the right to have some input, given that they are living with you. What you may want to do is talk to your wife -- and then the girls -- about why you want to know their whereabouts. I suspect it is for their safety and your peace of mind. You can tell them about the stories that you have heard in the news of young ladies being in peril. You can make it clear that you believe your job is to protect them. You can also let them know that informing you and their mother of where you are going is respectful and thoughtful.

Whenever I visit my mother, even though I'm a fully grown adult with a family, she wants to know where I am going. It’s knee-jerk for her, as a protective mechanism. Do your best to get your wife to agree to present to the girls that your request is both for safety and respect reasons. Have her stand with you, asking them to step in line. Otherwise, it won’t work.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My girlfriend "Lizzie" and I have been together for about three years. Although I have talked about moving in with her, she is adamant about having her own space or being engaged to the man she is living with. I live with her part-time and give her a third of her rent money. I don't want to live in my studio apartment anymore, and I want to move into her cabin full-time. I don't want to issue an ultimatum, but I can't think of any other way to get this to work in my favor. -- Full-Time Roommate, Boston

DEAR FULL-TIME ROOMMATE: The one mistake your girlfriend has made is letting you live with her at all. If she had been crystal clear and unwavering in her decision not to live with her boyfriend unless you had pledged to marry her and were headed toward the altar, you wouldn’t be in this position.

Respect her by making up your mind. If you want to marry her, propose and plan to take that leap. Do not try to force her to let you move in if you aren’t ready to make that commitment. She has made her desires known to you.

(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 Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I live in a large house and clean it all myself. After the holidays, I walked into my stepdaughter’s bathroom and saw that she had left towels on the floor like you would in a hotel to let housekeeping know they are dirty. I could not believe my eyes. She is nearly 30 years old, and she does not know how to clean up after herself. Should I tell my husband about his daughter’s horrible manners? -- Not Your Maid, Atlanta

DEAR NOT YOUR MAID: Rather than telling your husband about his daughter, start one-on-one with her. Engage your stepdaughter in a positive manner, and ask her if you two can have a chat. When you have her undivided attention, tell her that you need her to support your household by keeping things tidy. Point out that you clean your home without the aid of any hired help, so you need everyone who lives there or who spends time there to pull their own weight. Let her know that you noticed towels on the floor in her bathroom. Ask her to take a different approach in the future: Either hang them up, or put them in the dirty clothes hamper. Better still, invite her to wash them.

Next, go through a list of chores that you want her to be responsible for fulfilling while she is in your home. Be kind and positive, but also very clear. Follow up with your husband by telling him what occurred and how you chose to handle it. Ask him to support you in your efforts to keep the house clean.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son has gotten into the habit of blasting workout music even though he has perfectly good headphones. We have a few pieces of exercise equipment in the basement, and I got him headphones so he can lift weights while keeping the noise limited to the basement. The last thing I want to hear in the morning is heavy bass and rap music. My son refuses to budge and says this is how he motivates himself to get fit. What can I do to restore my sanity while keeping my son happy? -- 7 a.m. DJ, Pikesville, Maryland

DEAR 7 A.M. DJ: Set ground rules at home. Celebrate your son for his commitment to fitness as you let him know that he cannot play music audibly until after an allotted time that works for you, whatever that is. If he suggests that you are impeding his fitness progress, give him the option of working out at a gym or at home wearing earphones. Until he owns his own home, he must abide by your rules, including respecting your desire for peace and quiet in the early morning.

Your job is to teach and remind your son about respect and boundaries. His job, in his mind, is to push the boundaries. Push back, and do not budge. Define consequences if he ignores you.

(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 Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I hate being surprised with presents. This Christmas, I received a pair of goggles (I ski) that I hate. They are bright pink and offer no UV protection. The gift didn't come with a gift receipt, just the spoken wish that I would wear them. What do I do with these goggles now? I would feel so wasteful throwing them out, but I do not need another pair, especially ones that don't protect my eyes and skin. -- Unhappy Skier, Westchester, New York

DEAR UNHAPPY SKIER: You can soften your thoughts about this gift knowing that the person who gave it to you did attempt to think about what you might like. Clearly, the person knows that you ski. It is also clear that this person does not ski, thus no UV protection, and also doesn't know your style, thus the color pink.

No, you don't need to wear the goggles. What you can do is give them to the ski lodge where you commonly ski. Perhaps they have spares for people who forget theirs. Or give them to the local Goodwill in your favorite ski town.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Like most Americans, I am suffering from holiday weight gain. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, I probably ate my weight in food a few times over. I want to make a weight loss resolution I can actually stick to. I don't want to be in the hordes of people pledging to go to the gym; instead, I want a buddy to do this with me. How can I ask a friend to join my weight-loss journey without implying that they should lose weight? -- Holiday Miss Piggy, Raleigh, North Carolina

DEAR HOLIDAY MISS PIGGY: Congratulations on wanting to make healthier choices in the new year. You are like many people who ate too much over the last couple of months. Doing something about it takes dedication and commitment. Sure, you could ask a friend to work out with you. And you can do that without offending your friend by saying that you need moral support. Explain that if your friend would be willing to walk, run, go to the gym or do some other physical activity with you, you think you would have a better chance of succeeding at your goal of losing weight.

But don't stop there. While a friend's support can help, most of all you need to make up your mind that you will do this for yourself. Next, schedule your workout routines. If you literally put down dates and times each week when you intend to work out, you will make it easier for you to stick to a schedule.

If you need to get more support, consider recording your fitness activities daily on social media. Like a diary, you could record your progress and also your shortcomings -- in whatever detail feels comfortable. Chances are that you will have people cheering you on and consoling you on the tough days. Bottom line: Do you! Get fit. You can do it.

(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 Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)