If I sleep with my new boyfriend after he gives me jewels, will he think less of me?

Get "Dear Prudence" delivered to your inbox each week; click here to sign up. Please send your questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. (Questions may be edited.)

Got a burning question for Prudie? She'll be online at Washingtonpost.com to chat with readers each Monday at 1 p.m.  Submit your questions and comments here before or during the live discussion.

Dear Prudence,
I have been dating a fantastic man for a couple of months. We're both in our mid-30s, and each of us has a past, so we've taken things very slowly. My birthday is coming up, and we've rented a house out of town with a bunch of our friends for the celebration. I had hoped to take the opportunity to have some fun (by fun, I mean sex). But one of my friends just pulled me aside to let me know my beau bought me a bracelet that I saw at an antique store on one of our first dates. He's planning to give me this expensive piece of jewelry as a birthday present. So what's the problem? I don't want him thinking I slept with him because he gave me jewelry. Do I take the gift, blow out my candles, and have my way with him—and hope he doesn't conclude the bracelet is the reason? Do I talk to him about it ("I love the bracelet, but now I'm afraid I cannot sleep with you this weekend")? Or what?

—Gift Horse

Dear Gift Horse,
Calling O. Henry: You were planning to sleep with your boyfriend until you found out he cares about you so much that he has bought you a gift that shows his thoughtfulness and devotion. A bracelet becomes emotional handcuffs! You should not worry that after months of getting to know each other your boyfriend is going to conclude that you forgot to tell him you were actually a high-priced call girl, and all he needed to do was pony up some jewelry to get you to put out. However, I still disagree with your plans to ravish him on your vacation weekend. You two are renting a house with friends, an inopportune setting for your first go at sexual intimacy. The first time can be supercalifragilistic, and if it is, you two will want to spend all your time in bed, not playing charades with your pals. Or the first time can be promising but awkward, in which case you two will want to have some comfortable, quiet space to readjust and reconnect. Then there is the unpleasant possibility that the first time leaves both of you thinking "I know I want to have sex again—just not with you," and the tension that will cause will be the source of much eyebrow raising among your friends. So forget about the bracelet and decide that the "fun" can't wait for the weekend. Or if you still want to put off the big reveal, after thanking your boyfriend for the gift, tell him how much you're looking forward to a getaway for just the two of you.

—Prudie

Dear Prudence Video: The Ethics of Scoring Pot

Prudence,
I am a recent college graduate who is just beginning her career. When I was a girl, my family lost our house because of money problems. We moved in with my grandparents and never left. My mother doesn't work, and my stepfather is a construction worker. They can't afford their own house. I want to get my own house—with my boyfriend—and be closer to my job. He and I agree it would be a good idea (and the morally right thing to do) to buy a larger house and have my parents and teenage brother move in with us. We all get along great but never spend more than an hour a day together due to activities and schedules. However, when I tell people the plan, I get shocked expressions and disbelief. No one else thinks it's a good idea. Is this really a decision I will regret?

—Home Sweet Home

Dear Home,
Having multiple generations live under one roof is how most of humanity has done it for most of human history. However, those with the wherewithal to escape from the family cave, wigwam, or yurt fled as fast as they could across the steppes to the farthest condo they could find. You obviously would have been one of those who stayed, and it is sweet and heartwarming that you and your boyfriend love your parents and brother and want to do right by them. Don't listen to others who, if they found themselves in a similar situation, would be looking up "assisted suicide" in the Yellow Pages. However, as you consider properties that can accommodate all of you, you might want to look at homes with an in-law suite in the basement or some similar arrangement that allows your family to be under one roof but not fighting over the clicker in the same room.