DEAR HARRIETTE: I finally got around to some landscaping work I was planning on doing around the house. As I made my way to the back of my house, I saw an extension cord plugged into my outdoor outlet. After following it, I saw that it led to my neighbor’s house! No one was home, so I simply unplugged the outlet and hoped they’d take the message. It’s been a few days and my neighbors haven’t tried to plug it back in, but I am furious. Who knows how much this “borrowing” cost me? Should I demand they pay me so I don’t call the cops? – Electricity Robbers, Randallstown, Maryland

DEAR ELECTRICITY ROBBERS: Forget trying to get back what you cannot quantify. What you can and should do is speak to your neighbors. When you are face-to-face, express your surprise at discovering that they were using your electricity. Ask if something happened to theirs to precipitate such an action. Press a bit to learn why they did it.

You may discover that their power went out one day, or some other emergency occurred. Whatever is said to you, make it clear that if they have an electrical need in the future, they should ask you before plugging in.

• • •

DEAR HARRIETTE: Yesterday, a child at school scratched my 7-year-old daughter. The cut is about 2 inches long and looks painful. I believe this was accidental like the teacher told me, but my daughter claims she was attacked. She has the tendency to be dramatic, so I am not sure how honest her claim is. Should I take the teacher’s word about what happened, or should I investigate further? I don’t want my daughter feeling unsafe at school. – Schoolyard Woes, San Bernardino, California

DEAR SCHOOLYARD WOES: If your gut tells you that your daughter is exaggerating the situation, you don’t want to exacerbate things, yet you also want to build trust with her. So start there. Tell your daughter you are concerned about what happened at school, and you want to know all of the details. Listen with great focus, and ask questions to gain clarity. When you hear something that sounds exaggerated, challenge her a bit. Ask her if it really happened the way she is describing, or if her emotions might be getting the best of her. Gently remind her of a time when she actually did bend a story a bit, ultimately turning it into something that wasn’t true.

If she persists, ask her if she wants you to do some investigating at school to find out more about the incident. Ask her to tell you about her relationship with the “offender.” To the best of your ability, figure out how the accident occurred. Talk to the teacher. Ask her to take note of the dynamics between the two students so that she can support them in the future. Make it clear that your daughter feels strongly that she was hurt intentionally. Suggest that the teacher keep a mindful eye on them until things settle down.

— 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.