DEAR HARRIETTE: I wanted to do something special for my mom, so I decided to surprise her with a vacation for her birthday. She loves to travel, so I thought it’d be a nice opportunity for the two of us to get away and bond. My mom and I are not as close as I would like us to be. When I was younger, my mom took the “I am your parent, not your friend” stance, and I think as I got older, time and di…