By Sallie Middleton Parker

Q. Dear Sallie,

For my daughter's 5th birthday, my mother-in-law bought her clothes in a 48 months size. Needless to say, they are too small. When I asked her if she had the receipt, she got mad and left the party early. Was I out of line? My husband had told her not to buy clothes because our daughter is an in-between size and has to try on everything we buy her.

Thank you

Suzan, Georgetown, SC

A. Dear Susan,

Usually, it's OK to ask a close family member or best friend about a receipt, but be sure you can predict their response. A better way to handle the situation would be to thank the giver and save the garment for a child who can wear it.

Sincerely,

Sallie

Q. Dear Sallie,

The notice for a large meeting requested that we carpool due to limited parking. I called a close friend to see if we could go together. She said I could join her and another woman she had invited to go with her. I drove to her house and left my car and the three of us got in my friend's car and drove to the meeting. Afterwards, when we got back to her house, she told me she had invited her friend to come in. It was almost like telling me I wasn't invited. It sounded sort of rude. What do you think?

Ginny, Charleston, SC

A. Dear Ginny,

I think you weren't invited. Was it rude? Yes. The polite thing would have been to say, "Ginny, I invited Mazeline to come in after the meeting to talk about a couple of things. Would you like to join us?" That should be sufficient for you to understand that this was an invitation that didn't include you. You could then graciously say, "No, thank you, I have some errands to run."

Sincerely,

Sallie

To send a question to Sallie, please e-mail her at Salliemid@aol.com. Include your city and state. Copyright © 2009 Sallie Middleton Parker. All rights reserved.