DEAR HARRIETTE: My 12-year-old daughter is going through a phase where she feels like she has to match everything her friends do, what they wear, what they eat, the shows they watch, the hobbies they’re into, etc. She constantly compares herself to them and puts so much pressure on herself to fit in, to the point where she won’t even try something new unless she knows it’s already popular with her friend group. If her friends wear a certain brand, she wants the exact same thing. If they don’t like something, suddenly she doesn’t either, even if she used to love it.

Dear Doctors: My mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and I’m helping with her medical appointments. Her oncologist says she needs a liquid biopsy. She has already had a biopsy – that’s how they found the cancer. Why would she need another one?

DEAR HARRIETTE: A couple of months ago, I moved from Spain to the United States with my husband and our daughter. We settled in Los Angeles after we had done what we thought was careful planning. We saved up what felt like a substantial amount of money and assumed it would give us a good cushion while we adjusted and got settled. Reality has hit us much harder than we expected. The cost of living here is far more expensive than we imagined. Rent, groceries, child care, even just basic daily expenses – it’s all adding up so quickly. Our savings are running low much faster than we anticipated, and our salaries aren’t nearly enough to keep up with the lifestyle we’re trying to maintain, even though it’s a modest one. We’re doing our best to stay positive and make it work, but I’m already finding myself questioning whether this move was the right decision. I miss the stability and affordability of life back in Spain, and I’m starting to wonder if moving back is the more responsible choice. How do you know when to keep pushing forward and when to admit that something just isn’t working? – Over Our Heads DEAR OVER OUR HEADS: Assess the situation as calmly as you can. What made you come to the United States in the first place? Family? Sentiment? Whatever it was, is that draw more important than your reality today?

This time 10 years ago, much of the political commentariat, both Democratic and Republican, was having a grand old time making fun of Donald Trump. The real estate/ marketing/TV star entered the GOP race for president on June 16, 2015 – you remember the famous coming-down-the-escalator scene.