DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My boyfriend has this thing about not being able to fall asleep at night without the TV on. He is a paramedic and sees some truly bad stuff on a daily basis. So, I can get how the TV playing helps him fall asleep because it helps block out the thoughts that otherwise keep him awake. But what works for him, makes it hard for me to fall or stay asleep.

I have tried different things to block out the TV, including buying a $70 pair of noise cancelling earbuds and a couple different sleep masks. I find both the earbuds and the masks uncomfortable to sleep with, so I gave up using them.

I love my boyfriend and want to spend as much time with him as I can, but how do we get around this difference in what we need to sleep? --- NEED SOME SLEEP

DEAR NEED SOME SLEEP: I know a few people who, like your boyfriend, use the TV to help them fall asleep. Perhaps your boyfriend could explore alternate ways to block his busy mind when it’s bedtime.

For instance, if he hasn’t yet, he could try listening to music or reading something not connected to his job. There are studies that suggest exercising later in the day helps facilitate dozing off at bedtime. If his TV has a sleep timer, setting it may help you both get better sleep if it turns off after he’s dozed off. His being the one to use Bluetooth earbuds or headphones to listen to whatever he’s watching might at least eliminate one of the issues causing you to lose sleep.

There are many tried-and-true ways to ease people into sleep. It will likely take some experimentation to find something you can both live with — and successfully sleep to.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I just moved into my first apartment and have two other roommates. We all get along pretty good, and sometimes hangout together in the living room or on the deck before, during, and after meals.

One of my roommates has an incredibly hot brother. He seems to be a real nice guy as well. I think he at least kind of likes me, but I am afraid that if he asks me out, I will have to turn him down, because I think it would be kind of weird for his sister if we start hooking up.

I do not feel I know my new roommate all that well to feel her out on the subject, especially if I am reading her brother wrong.

Do you think I should bring the whole situation up and ask her permission to go out with her brother if he asks me? I also worry how weird it would be if we started seeing each other and then it did not work out. I know he doesn’t have a girlfriend right now, but I like where I am living and want to be able to stay here. --- CRUSHING ON MY ROOMMATE’S BROTHER

DEAR CRUSHING ON MY ROOMMATE’S BROTHER: I agree with you that this entire situation could lead to any number of awkward outcomes.

My advice would be to take things slow and give yourself time to settle into your new living arrangement and get to know your roommates better. It’s probably a pretty good guess that if there’s a mutual attraction between your roomie’s brother and you, your other roommates will pick up on it, and you can take your lead from their reactions.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Back when my sons were little, my father used to take them with him to buy scratch-offs and the occasional big jackpot lottery ticket. He even used to give them to the boys as stocking stuffers and in their birthday cards. It was just a fun little thing to do. My dad never expected to hit it big, and he certainly never spent more than a few bucks here and there on it. And that’s as close to gambling as anyone in the family did as long as I can remember.

I am beginning to fear my oldest son is becoming hooked on on-line gambling. It’s legal in our state, and I don’t claim to understand much about it at all, beyond that my daughter-in-law has begun to say things to us about how much time and money my son is spending on what he still claims is a harmless hobby.

He’s a grown man, makes his own money, and lives his own life with his wife and my granddaughter. But it makes me uneasy, especially since when I say anything to him about the gambling, he gets very defensive and tells me to mind my own business.

Beyond worrying, is there anything else I should be doing? --- GAMBLER’S MOM

DEAR GAMBLER’S MOM: You’re a mom, and worrying is a big part of the job description. But now that your son’s an adult with a family of his own, his welfare is, or at least should be, more in the hands of his wife, and if she’s old enough, his daughter.

Since your daughter-in-law has spoken to you about her concerns, by all means, offer her your support, and back her up if she asks for help. While it’s up to her to take the lead here, it might prove at least a little easier all-around if she has a strong ally in you.