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Boyfriend Gives His Teeth the BrushoffPrudie counsels a woman whose partner is lax at oral care—and other advice seekers.

Updated Tuesday, June 23, 2009, at 3:49 PM ET

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Embarrassed: My husband and I married over a year ago and were blessed with many generous gifts from our friends and family. I began the thank you notes when we returned from our honeymoon and then life happened. By "life" I mean we applied, were accepted to and started grad school, we held an intervention for his mother, assisted her enrollment in rehab, assisted her search when she escaped from rehab, attended family counseling sessions with her and now try to avoid her daily crises; cared for a grandparent in between nursing stays; helped a friend leave an abusive spouse, testified before family court and local law enforcement; and tried to celebrate some good times and holidays with friends and family. So now I have a thousand excuses and hundreds of thank you notes left.

Is it okay to send them this late? Do I have to explain why they are so late?

Emily Yoffe: I like the range of your excuses from mother-in-law's escape from rehab to, well, going on vacation. No, it's not too late to write the notes, and no, no one wants to hear that the reason they are coming this late is because granny got sick and you were at the beach working on your tan. Sit down and write the notes. Add a one-line apology for the long delay, but don't clarify the reasons.

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The Steamy South: Dear Prudie,

I've recently decided I'm tired of people asking me if I'm expecting another baby/and decided to lose some weight. My mother, who has been complaining about her weight ever since I can remember, said that she was going to join me in my efforts. But every time I go to her house for dinner, she serves the same old things she always cooks—mouth-watering ribeye steaks, creamy mashed potatoes, decadent desserts. Even the vegetables are smothered in butter before they reach the table.

My eating plan allows me to eat anything in moderation, but she always cooks enough for ten people and then pressures me to eat more than I should. If I refuse, she acts hurt. To make matters worse, she's an excellent cook, so I really want to eat what she's offering.

My parents split their time between the town where my brother lives and the town I live in. I've managed to lose 15 lbs since May in spite of my Mom's food pushing, but we're going to visit my brother and his family in 2 weeks. I already know I won't be reducing while I'm there, but I don't want to put on the pounds I've already lost. How do I deal with my mom's insistence that I eat more than I know I should?

Emily Yoffe: Once you're out of her house, and she no longer has the power to physically put a spoon in your mouth or punish you if you don't clean your plate, your mother cannot make you eat more than you want to. We live in a fortunate world where it's harder to avoid food than find it. You will always be surrounded by temptation, so you need to strengthen the ability to say, "It looks great, but I'm full, thanks" to your mother or whoever might be pushing calories on you. Take a look at The End of Overeating by David Kessler or The Beck Diet books for ideas on how to change how you interact with food.

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"Loan": The "lender" and the "giver" both have tax implications. This looks like a gift, so one needs to claim it as so and the other has to file a gift tax return. If a loan, it was still below market, and thus had a gift component. The IRS is not really happy with people who do this without filing, and they do come after you years later. See a CPA, stat.

Emily Yoffe: You mean you can't say to the IRS, "But what about 'paying it forward'?" Thanks for the information that "Loan" needs to bring this up with her husband.

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London, U.K.: We have several young children, all the same gender, and (surprise!) are suddenly expecting another. We haven't yet shared the good news, but it is inevitable that people will ask us if we were trying for that elusive other gender. We weren't. I don't want to tell the world this child was a surprise, and I don't want to be rude, tempting though it may be considering the question is so personal.

My honest answer is that I would prefer this child be the same as the others, but I don't think I should say that. The trite answer is that "we just want a healthy baby." How would you respond?

Emily Yoffe: There are good reasons that some situations already have a trite answer. This one is excellent, so use it.

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Washington, D.C.: Dear Prudie,

I'm a 27-year-old woman who's doing pretty well in life. I've traveled the world; I'm getting my Master's degree and have a great job lined up; I'm in perfect health and in great shape. People always tell me I'm really pretty, smart, fun, nice, and adventurous. I'm really happy with every aspect of my life except my love life.

I've tried meeting guys in all sorts of situations, such as in class, at work, through friends, at events, online, etc., and sometimes I'll get a few dates. Things tend to end with the guy offering me casual sex or nothing, and plainly telling me that he has no desire to have a relationship with me, and that's when I'm lucky, as I've had worse endings on numerous occasions. I'm left mindboggled and bitter, because I really want to be in a relationship.

I would think that being an attractive, accomplished person would make me good relationship material, but apparently that's just not enough. I know lots of people who are less nice, less funny, and less interesting who manage to find boyfriends. What can I do differently that will make guys think I'm girlfriend material?