DEAR ABBY
Dear Abby:
I have known “Kathy” for 13 years. Her parents moved up the street from us when we were both 2. I don’t remember much when we were younger, but everyone says we had some good times.
We are now 15 and in our first year of high school. My problem is, Kathy has changed. She started going to the same school I did in eighth grade after having some problems with bullying. The new school didn’t help much. She started hanging out with people who weren’t good influences, and her attitude started changing.
Then we started high school, and now she acts like she’s above me. I’m a polite, quiet and religious person. Kathy swears a lot and doesn’t treat me like a friend anymore. Our families are close, and I feel stuck. If our situations were different, I would have never ended up being friends with her. What should I do? Some Good Times Dear Some Good Times:
Tell your parents how you feel about Kathy and why. Friendships don’t always last forever. As time goes by, sometimes people grow apart. If Kathy is unkind to you, you shouldn’t be forced to be around her. Because your parents and hers are close, they can socialize as adults, with no offspring involved.
Dear Abby:
My husband lacks sympathy. When people die, he has the attitude of, “Oh, well, people die.” I thought he would change once someone close to him died, but his father died a few months ago, and although he shed some tears, he refused to eulogize him at the funeral and is back to his old attitude. His mother is the same way.
Recently, my grown son phoned me in the middle of the night to let me know that his best friend’s dad had died. He was very upset and needed to talk. My husband was annoyed that he woke us about someone we didn’t even know, and went on to say how ridiculous it was that my son was so upset. I told him that, as a mom, I will talk my son through any problem, whether he agrees with it or not. He just grumbled and went back to sleep.
This is still bothering me. I wonder how my husband will act toward my children if I die first. I worry that he will say “suck it up and stop crying” when they need him the most. I don’t think this is worth ending a 30-year marriage over, but it makes me angry that he is so unsympathetic. Any ideas on how I should handle this? Full of Feeling in Arizona Dear Full: Yes. Outlive him.
DearAbby.com Dear Abby P.O. Box 69440 Los Angeles, CA 90069 Universal Press Syndicate