Illustration: Pierre Le-Tan

Q: My best friend dresses her 9-year-old daughter in half-tops and miniskirts and thinks it's okay for her to wear lip gloss. Should I say something?

A: "Frame it not as a condemnation of her mothering skills ('Why do you dress your kid like a Bratz doll?') but as concern for the daughter: 'Isabelle is such a pretty girl...do you ever worry that she might look sexy at her age?' And be sure to give your friend the DVD boxed set of To Catch a Predator for her next birthday." 
— Faith Salie, host of public radio's Fair Game from PRI with Faith Salie