DEAR HARRIETTE: I went on a date with a guy that a mutual friend of ours had set me up with. We had a good time. Everything went as planned until I got home and realized that I had left my cellphone in the Uber with him. I was dropped off first, so I tried calling my phone to see if the driver would circle back after dropping off my date. My cellphone was never answered, so I contacted Uber and met up with the driver, but the phone was nowhere to be found. By that point, I had traced it to an address across town. The driver confirmed that is where he had dropped off the guy I was with. I went there and tried to ring my phone, and it was then shut off.

I contacted my friend about my cellphone, but my date swore that he did not have it and that the driver must have stolen it. The problem with that is that I used GPS to locate my phone, and my friend even confirmed that it was my date's address. I know that he took my phone but just won’t admit it. I’m nervous that this guy is intending to stalk me with my cellphone. My phone will be erased the next time it is turned on. I contacted the police, but they could not do anything. What can I do? I feel concerned about my safety. Am I jumping to conclusions? Maybe he didn’t take it, but what other explanation is there? -- Lost Phone

DEAR LOST PHONE: Let your mutual friend know that you are disappointed and a bit nervous about what happened to your phone. Make it clear that you know your phone was last in your date's possession. Then move on. You can’t prove anything, so don’t allow this to keep you riled up. Just watch your back.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been working toward a promotion for the past few months. I have worked in this higher position temporarily on different occasions. Corporate has reached out to me about taking the promotion permanently, but it just hasn’t happened. Every time they need me to fill in this role temporarily, there is no pay raise.

I feel that they have been dragging out the situation for as long as they can to have the job filled without having to commit to giving me the position, which would require the pay raise. I have been with the company for about seven years now and have been waiting two years for this promotion. What else can I do to put my foot down professionally about taking on the responsibility from time to time and never being rewarded? -- Enough Is Enough

DEAR ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: Talk to your supervisor. State how much you enjoy the job that you are regularly invited to fill and that you believe it is time for you to formally fill the role. Ask for the promotion now. Point out that corporate did reach out to you about taking the job permanently but nobody has followed up. Since you are once again being invited to do the job, you would like the company to acknowledge you by making it official. Make it clear that you are ready.

(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: My parents are divorced, and I have not had an in-person relationship with my mother for five years. My son is now 7 years old. My mother and I still had each other on social media, and she has been trolling and feuding with me about many different things that I post -- things that pertain to my son and being a mother. It's no surprise that she disagrees with all my choices and everything I do with my son.

I blocked her from everything so that she can no longer watch my life and criticize me, especially since she is not in our lives anymore. Some time after blocking her, my husband and I got served with papers that say she is trying to get custody of my son. She only met him when he was a baby. She doesn’t know him at all. She is calling us unfit parents and a danger to our son. Now we have to face court to defend ourselves to keep our son. How can she do this? Does she have any chance of winning? -- Don't Take My Son

DEAR DON’T TAKE MY SON: Get an attorney immediately and share everything that you know with him. Any communication you have received from your mother, on social media or otherwise, can be used as evidence -- for or against you. Identify friends and family members who will vouch for your role as a mother and friend. Find out where your father stands in this situation. Gather your forces so that you can fight your mother if needed. Stay calm and make sure you pay close attention to your son to ensure that he is safe. Good luck.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My co-workers are always gossiping. I am very open and friendly, but I don’t appreciate them talking about other co-workers' business. I do not take part in it. One day, someone asked me why I always ditch them mid-conversation. They said if I plan on being rude, I should stop joining them altogether. I said, “As soon as we go from talking regular to talking crap, you lose my respect.”

Looking back, I think I could have said this differently, but I felt attacked for trying to do the right thing and walk away from a bad conversation. When I was questioned and dismissed, I kind of snapped. How can I, walking away from that type of conversation, not be obvious as to why? How am I the one ridiculed? I don’t want negative energy at work, but I feel like it’s already present, and now I’m probably the topic of their little clique. I want to neutralize the situation and go back to associating with co-workers and respectfully excusing myself when I become uncomfortable. -- Neutral Co-worker

DEAR NEUTRAL CO-WORKER: You cannot control your co-workers, but you can acknowledge to them that you know you were harsh when you responded to them. Tell them you enjoy talking to them, but you just don’t like to gossip. When folks begin to talk about others, you like to step off. You aren’t judging them; that’s just not your thing.

If they stay upset, stick to your principles. Being an ally includes standing up for what’s right even if it isn’t popular.

(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 have been dating my boyfriend for over a year now, and I have not met any of his friends, or any family either. To be fair, he has not met my parents because I am very strategic about who meets my parents, and he knows that. However, he has met my closest friends.

Every time I ask to meet his friends, I feel like he is giving me excuses. At this point, it makes me feel like I am being hidden. We have had a conversation about it, but it never seems to happen. Am I wrong for wanting to meet his friends and family, or is it still too early? -- Girl With Potential

DEAR GIRL WITH POTENTIAL: Looks like both of you have been holding back a bit, with your boyfriend being more extreme. You need to ask yourself what you want in this relationship. If you think it is serious and you want to be committed to this man, it is time for you to have that talk. You can tell him what you want and ask him what he wants. Be direct, so that there’s no room for squirming.

If you want to see where this can lead, including to a long-term commitment, tell him that you don’t think that is possible without your friends and family knowing both of you. Ask him what he has to hide. Stick to your guns. If he refuses to include you in the rest of his life, that is a sign that he is not serious.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My young daughter is an aspiring model. She recently did a photo shoot for a headshot. During the photo shoot, the company we booked was supposed to send a kid-friendly photographer. When we got there, the photographer and his assistant had never done professional photos with children before. He turned out to be horrible with children: He was very stern, yelled a bit and was not patient at all. My daughter ended up crying, at which point I told him I wanted to cancel and book with someone else, but he told me that there was no refund -- I could cancel, but I would have to pay someone else again. I don’t feel that I should have to pay for a service I was not satisfied with, especially when he had no experience with a child for this gig.

After I received the photos, his assistant reached out to me saying that she had lost the payment paperwork and asking me to resubmit it. This photographer was rude, and I do not like how my daughter’s photos came out. I’m ready to contact them back and tell them “Too bad.” Because I was unhappy and they lost the payment for something I didn’t want to pay for anyway, that’s on them. I don’t want any bad karma by not holding up my end of the deal, but the other half of me feels like I got lucky and maybe this is their karma. Should I pay for the services or keep my money to book a better photographer? -- Depending on Karma

DEAR DEPENDING ON KARMA: Count your blessings. Do not pay the photographer. Contact the company to formally express your disappointment in how the shoot was handled. If they balk, contact your local consumer protection office or the Better Business Bureau to lodge a formal complaint against the company.

(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.)