DEAR HARRIETTE: How can you tell if someone is telling the truth?

I am in a relationship where I believe my boyfriend is continually lying to me about everything, including dumb stuff. He denies that he is lying every time I question him. As I consider whether he is telling me the truth, I wonder if I am losing my mind. For instance, he'll say he’s going to meet me, but he doesn’t show up and doesn’t call; I can’t believe that there is always a family crisis. After a while, I feel like he’s blowing me off. That’s when he goes in hard, telling me that I don’t trust him and I should be more thoughtful because he is going through a lot. I can’t see what he’s going through, though. It seems like smoke and mirrors. Every now and then, he will trot out somebody who corroborates his story, which makes me question my instincts.

I’m not sure what to do. I can’t prove my suspicions, but I don’t feel like I can trust him now, which is a major problem. -- Regaining Trust

DEAR REGAINING TRUST: Ask yourself what type of relationship you want and deserve. Does it feature doubt, mistrust, disappearances and random proof of corroboration? Seriously, think about what you have been accepting. Is this what you want for your life? If not, stop accepting it. Whether or not he is telling the truth, if you feel uncomfortable, shaken and lied to, that counts for something.

You need to decide what quality of life you want to experience. Then evaluate whether your boyfriend is living up to your baseline for that life. If not, you don’t need to have proof of anything other than what you already know -- he does not live up to your standards. Then you have to muster the courage to walk away.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I live in an apartment building with fairly thin walls. My next-door neighbor is a single mom with two young children. I have noticed recently that she seems to leave them home when she goes to the store or wherever. I have heard them crying sometimes, and it bothers me. I don’t want my neighbor to get in trouble, but I am worried about her children. I would be willing to watch them on occasion, but I don’t want to overstep my bounds or get in too deep. I think it’s kinder to try to support her than to report her, though. Do you think I should offer to baby-sit sometimes and see how it goes? -- Being the Village

DEAR BEING THE VILLAGE: I like your supportive attitude and clarity about what you are able and willing to do. Speak to your neighbor, tell her that you are concerned about her children and offer to help in the specific ways that you can. Ask her if it will help for you to watch her children when she has to go to the store for an hour. Let her know the exact times you are availabile. If she’s willing, try it out. Watch her kids and see if she comes home in a timely manner.

If your neighbor is appreciative and mindful of time, keep it up. If she is irresponsible with time, let her know that she needs to get other support for her children so that she doesn’t leave them at home alone. Otherwise, you will have to report her to the authorities.

(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 was afraid to engage in any type of sexual intimacy when I was a teenager. My parents would have killed me. We were taught that we were supposed to wait until marriage. While I didn’t last that long, I was in college before I did anything serious, and I regret it. The circumstances around losing my virginity really weren’t good enough for me to give it up.

My daughter, who is in the ninth grade, recently told me that many of her friends are already sexually active. She hasn’t done anything yet, she says, and I believe her. But she added that she feels confident that she will have sex before she finishes high school. What can I say to her to get her to slow down? -- Drawing the Line

DEAR DRAWING THE LINE: It is true that for many of us, fear and shame were used by our parents and communities to attempt to keep us, with our raging teenage hormones, from engaging in sexual activity. This tactic is not as welcome these days, nor do I think it is helpful.

Your job, in my view, is to instill values in your daughter that will help to guide her steps. Rather than spouting judgment, fill her mind and heart with your beliefs on the sanctity of one’s temple and how important it is for her to treat it, her body, with respect. Suggest that she should not give herself to anyone sexually before the person deserves to cross that boundary. Tell her that a sexual partner should be someone she loves and respects and who loves and respects her. It should be someone with whom she shares values and interests. She should avoid intimacy with casual partners. Point out, too, that high school students rarely have figured out anything about their lives, including their understanding of intimacy. Waiting is worth it.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have an office phone and a cellphone that I use increasingly for business. I have had my office number for years, but I realize that almost all of the calls that I receive are robocalls or other solicitations.

I don’t want to keep my landline. It is expensive and I hardly ever use it, but I worry that I might lose clients. What do you think I should do? -- Lose the Landline

DEAR LOSE THE LANDLINE: The trend these days is for people to use their cellphones for everything. It is true that you could lose some clients and potential connections if you shut down the number that you have had for so long. If you are connected via social media, though, you have a chance to build a profile that can potentially reach more broadly than your landline ever did. You can also list yourself in industry directories and add your email address and cellphone number. Reach out to your contacts and let them know your go-to number now. If you do an active outreach campaign, you can inform most of your contacts and reduce your overall monthly outlay of cash.

(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 just got a job offer in a field that I don’t love, but it will pay the bills. I have worked in this field already, so I have some experience. It’s not a bad job, but it isn’t my passion.

Part of me wants to reject the job offer and instead just work on the blog I have been building. I have been getting traction, and I’m earning a little bit of money from ad revenue. But I have rent to pay, and I am worried about having enough money. I want to work on my blog or enter a totally different field. Should I accept a well-paying job, even if it is not my dream? Or should I focus on my blog exclusively and see if I can monetize it enough to be able to afford my life? -- How to Work

DEAR HOW TO WORK: I’m old-school on this one: I recommend that you take the job and keep your focus. Do your best at your job, and devote ALL of your free time to developing your blog. Be super organized so that you make every moment count. Map out your schedule so that you dedicate a minimum of one hour each day to your blog. Figure out as many ways as you can to monetize it. Give yourself benchmarks to check in on your progress.

Meanwhile, be laser sharp while on your day job. Learn all that you can and stay focused on your work when you are there. Avoid talking about your extra-curricular interests.

And if you have another field of interest in mind, search online and talk to friends to learn about job opportunities in that area. Doing this when you have a job will help you to pay bills. It will likely make you more marketable. It is easier to be hired for a job when you already have one.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Spring is here, and I’m trying to get rid of the clutter in my house. I have so much extra stuff that it’s not even funny. I try to unload things, but it never quite works. I recently watched the Marie Kondo show on Netflix. She was showing families how to tidy up their homes. It looked like her process might work, but how am I going to get on her show? What can I do on my own to get the clutter out of my house? -- Clutter-Free

DEAR CLUTTER-FREE: You do not need to get on Marie Kondo’s show in order to reduce clutter in your home. Consider following her process, which you can also find in her book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing." But this is only one avenue. You can get help locally through ClutterersAnonymous.org, or even ask friends who are good at organizing to come over one day and help you clean out -- if you feel that you are able to let go enough to allow them in.

(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.)