Steve and Mia: Teen daughter's boss is sexually harassing her

Q: My daughter took a job at a local window and siding company. Her job is to go door to door offering free estimates. She was 17 when she started, and her boss, who was the driver, was really nice. But when she turned 18, he became very aggressive in pursuing her. More than once she had to tell him he had crossed a line and to back off.

He invited her to his 28th birthday party, along with the whole team. My daughter is the only girl. She did not go. Since then, he has been angry and cruel to her.

Yesterday he took her to work in another state and left her there. When he finally came back to get her, he laughed and said, "I can fire you if I want, so if you want the job, you better be nicer to me."

She is looking for a new job but is really sad. She enjoyed and did really well at this job until this man started making her life hell.

Is there anything that can be done about him? She will leave this job, but there will be other teenage girls who will be in this man's care.

Mia: Tell your daughter to document everything. She needs to keep a daily log and hang onto any emails he sends if they include anything even remotely related to unfair treatment.

Your daughter also should report what's going on to her human resources department. Since it appears she's being singled out because of her gender, have her contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

By all means, she should continue looking for new work and save her money. She may need to hire an attorney.

Steve: This is serious. Besides what Mia says, perhaps your daughter can go to her boss' immediate superior and report the harassment, perhaps adding, "I really don't want to make a federal case out of this." The supervisor should be smart enough to get the drift.

Q: I've been dating a wonderful man for four months. We've been intimate and practicing safe sex, but not when we're having oral sex. When we first started having sex, we agreed to get tested for HIV as a couple but we never did it. Every time I bring the subject up, he makes an excuse. Any suggestions on how to get him tested? This is bugging me.

Steve: If he breaks his oral (ahem) word to you, what will he break next? Relationships must be built on trust or they will crumble - and he is acting like a crumb.

Mia: Shut down the candy store. Make an appointment to get tested and tell him that unless he goes, you're no longer going to have any type of unprotected sex with him. Be sweet and loving, but firm. If he really cares about you, he'll go.

But keep this in mind. Getting tested can give you a false feeling of security. You're never 100 percent in the clear unless both of you are monogamous. You write that you've been dating for only four months. Are you ready for that level of trust and commitment?