DEAR HARRIETTE: My mother confided in my sister and me that she has been seeing a psychic every year since we were born. After pushing her to tell us what the psychic said about our futures, my mother told me that the psychic said I would get married earlier in my life and have three children. My sister would go through a divorce and stay single with one child. My sister took these predictions very personally. She lamented about how she wanted to be the happy one and it was not fair since I do not even want to get married until later in life. I am not taking these predictions to heart, but my sister has been annoyed with my mother and wants her to see a new psychic. Could I offer to switch futures with my older sister to placate her? I think this whole situation is ludicrous. – Flopped Futures, Shreveport, Louisana

DEAR FLOPPED FUTURES: Some people truly believe in the wisdom of psychics. It sounds like your mother is one of them. Because your sister trusts your mother, she now thinks she is doomed. Being a skeptic about such things, it is hard for me to support their beliefs. The simplest thing for you to do may be to tell your sister that while you do not believe in the power or vision of psychics, you do believe she will lead a great life. You can add that you are happy to swap your prediction with hers.

The important point for you will be not to take either prediction to heart. Live your life without focusing on the words of a psychic. Base your steps on your own intuition and your conscious effort to build a great life for yourself. When your sister comes to you with questions or doubts, suggest that faith in a higher power and in herself should be her guides, not the words of a psychic.

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DEAR HARRIETTE: I have recently moved into a new apartment building. My neighbors seem friendly, but I have one complaint. My downstairs neighbors host some sort of slam poetry session every week. In my mind, there is no reason for this to be happening in an apartment, especially one where the neighboring apartments have to listen to it. I want to leave a note on their door urging them to relocate to a cafe or any open mike night in the area, but my roommate says that could only cause the poetry to get louder. I was never asked or warned about these poetic sessions, and I think it is ridiculous that this is allowed on Monday evenings. Should I just go ahead with the note or call the landlord? – Shut Down the Slam, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SHUT DOWN THE SLAM: You didn’t mention what time these slams end. Start directly with your landlord. Mention the slam and the time that they typically end. If they end loud and late, you may have a good chance of getting your landlord to intervene. He may not be able to stop them entirely, but he may be able to get them to end earlier. Check the noise violation codes in your neighborhood to be sure.

— Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.