Dr Lucinda-Jane Rothschild, PhD: The Social Mixologist

Recently at a restaurant I was seated next to a celebrity but I was too shy to ask for an autograph. Can you suggest an interesting opening? Should it happen again, I'd like to appear cool and confident.

I have a friend who always leaves a party abruptly without saying goodbye. She will silently disappear and leave us scratching our heads, wondering if we've offended her — yet she never misses the next occasion. We can only assume she doesn't know how to say goodbye. How should we handle her?

How do you deal with dinner guests who like to arrive earlier than you're ready to receive them?

My friend constantly criticises my parenting and says I have raised a bunch of wild heathens. She insists I teach my children to say 'please' and thank you even for the smallest things — but my children are just 18 months and two years old and can barely say "boo". Should children this age be reprimanded and should I take her criticism to heart? It's driving a wedge between us.

A friend who claims to be vegetarian but often orders chicken at restaurants. That's fine except for when she dines at my home — I never know what to make. Sometimes she'll eat meat and other times she says, "I'm vegetarian, remember?". How can I approach the issue without being rude or offensive? Planning dinner with her is difficult?

I had a shocker of a Christmas — being in receipt of a truckload of useless presents for which I have no interest in owning. The problem is, after a Champagne breakfast, I did a fairly poor job at even looking grateful let alone verbalising any faux thanks (I don’t like being fake). My in-laws all agree I’m the ungrateful Grinch. Please help. What is the correct way to receive yet another rosewater soap collection (the Kmart PJ’s were passable).