Dear Queenie,

  Some people I know will knock on the door but they don’t wait for me to answer, they just knock and walk right in. It can be embarrassing if I’m not properly dressed or inconvenient if I’m in the middle of eating or talking on the phone or whatever.

  Queenie, shouldn’t they wait until I open the door or at least tell them to come in? And can I say something to them about it?—Entry Etty Ket

Dear Etty Ket,

  Yes, of course they should wait until you invite them to enter. The simplest solution would be to keep your door locked so they have to wait for you to open it. However, you may prefer to be able to call out “Come in” without having to go and unlock the door for them.

  And, yes, you can say to them, “Please wait for me to answer before you come in, in case I am not properly dressed.”

Dear Queenie,

  I love to visit my parents and they always ask me to stay with them for a few days, but the walls in their house are thin and sometimes they wake me up when they are having sex.

  I’m glad to know they still love each other that way, but it’s embarrassing and I can’t talk to them about it because sex is something we don’t talk about in our family.

  Queenie, should I stay at a hotel the next time I visit them?—Embarrassed daughter

Dear Daughter,

  If you can afford to stay at a hotel, by all means do so. If your parents ask why, tell them you know they need their privacy. I am sure they will understand what you mean.

  However, if you cannot afford a hotel, try investing in a set of earplugs to use while you are sleeping. Unless they actually shake the house when they make love, the earplugs should keep you from being awakened by it.

Dear Queenie,

  My wife says it’s not right to give people liquor or wine as a gift. I say it’s okay because even if they don’t drink they will have it to serve to guests.

  Queenie, what do you say?—Alcohol Etty Ket

Dear Etty Ket,

  The only time an alcoholic beverage would be an inappropriate gift is when you know for a fact that the person(s) would not ever drink it, serve it or give it away to someone else (“re-gift” it).

  However, if you are not certain, surely you can think of some other impersonal gift. There is always the good old gift certificate – which should be for a very general type of store, such as a supermarket.

Dear Queenie,

  I broke up with my boyfriend when he started abusing me and I don’t have anything more to do with him, but I am still close to his parents, who are my daughter’s grandparents.

  Now I have found out that I am pregnant again and I just can’t afford to raise 2 children and I don’t know what I am going to do.

  Queenie, should I tell his parents so they can tell him?—Single mother

Dear Mother,

  Your ex-boyfriend (and his parents) have the right to know about his second child with you, and the Court of Guardianship can help you get child support from him.

  You might also try to get counselling to help you decide exactly what you want to do and how to go about doing it.