DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My roommate has been seeing this girl who used to be in a band and who knows the words to about a gazillion songs, all of which she sings either out loud or under her breath while she’s doing stuff around the house. It’s like she can’t be quiet, and the only good thing is she has a pretty decent voice.

I do not want to make a big deal out of this, but I also do not want to have to invest in noise-cancelling earbuds. Do I say something or not? --- TOO MANY NOTES

DEAR TOO MANY NOTES: It appears you’ve come up with the politest solution of using earbuds/headphones. When your roommate’s girlfriend is around, you can either enjoy the sounds of silence or some of your own favorite tunes if the ones she’s chosen aren’t to your taste.

You could mention your annoyance to your roommate, in passing, but I doubt you want to create the “her or me” dynamic that could result from your pointing out what you consider a flaw in his girlfriend.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My son announced he was invited to a Halloween party, which he fully intends to attend. I told him he is nuts for taking such a big chance, especially since I know the guy throwing the party, and I can guarantee it will be an overcrowded mess. My son assures me he’ll be careful, but I have already told him I do not want him around his mother and me for at least two weeks after he has been in what I consider a very risky environment. Am I overreacting? --- DON’T LIKE PARTY PLANS

DEAR DON’T LIKE PARTY PLANS: I’m with you in that it’s a bad idea to be in crowds these days, even if all reasonable precautions are taken. But the young, as ever, believe themselves invulnerable.

You’ve done your part to warn your son and to let him know what his actions will lead to as far as you and his mother are concerned. If he’s a legal adult and on his own, there’s little more you can do.

If he’s still living at home, you’ll have to consider how you can keep him safely apart from his mom and yourself in the same house. It can be done. I’ve known of other families who’ve managed to make voluntary in-home quarantines work.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: We knew going into our new home in an older neighborhood that we shared a driveway with our next-door neighbors. They recently had their half redone in concrete, which we can’t afford to do with our half, which does need some work. Our neighbors tried to talk us into going in with them, but we couldn’t swing it right now, especially since we had to have work done on our roof and plumbing this past summer.

We know it doesn’t look great to have the two different surfaces right next to each other, but there’s nothing we can do about it for now. Our neighbors have been cold shouldering us when we run into them getting into or out of our car. I get they’re disappointed, but you would think that as an older couple, they would understand not everyone has the same amount of ready cash. Why can’t they just get over it? --- HALF A DRIVEWAY OWNER

DEAR HALF A DRIVEWAY OWNER: Even though you were upfront with your neighbors about your inability to match their funds for an entire driveway redo, they may feel their property value is affected by the current appearance of the driveway; or they could be bothered by its aesthetics for their own sake. It might also be they have the perception that you’re just being cheap, which may be the hardest assumption for them to overcome.

It’s never pleasant when there’s tension between near neighbors, and perhaps the best thing you can do is to let it go, at least for a while. Best case, they stop freezing you out; worst case, they continue to give you the cold shoulder, which is something you may just have to get used to.