A friendship falters as pal’s forgiveness fades

DEAR AMY » A dear friend of mine of many years got angry with me and treated me very poorly. She apologized, I accepted and we moved on.

I don’t want to lose the friendship, however I am on edge around her because I am afraid of doing something else that might set her off.

I don’t know how to handle this.

I am even fearful of trying to discuss this with her.

Do you have any suggestions?

— Embarrassed in NY DEAR EMBARRASSED » You don’t seem to have fully believed or accepted your friend’s apology. You have not successfully moved on.

Forgiveness is a heavy lift. So is friendship. If your friend’s reaction was out of the blue and out of character, you should try to imagine what might be going on in her own life that might trigger this sort of reaction.

If you are so fearful of this person’s reaction that you won’t even risk broaching the topic with her, then your friendship is not back on track. If you want your friendship to be restored and functional, you need to be brave enough to bring up this incident.

Try: “I want you to know that I’m still struggling with some emotional fallout from our upsetting disagreement. Can we talk about this some more? I really want to get back on track.”

She may say, “Hey, I’ve apologized already. You need to get over it.” This is the knee-jerk reaction of someone who is at fault and wants to throttle past their wrongdoing. And that’s when you should try to be brave and vulnerable to say, “Well, I’m still struggling.”

DEAR AMY » I’m in a bind.

A year ago, my wife died. At the time, I told only our close friends. It was hard enough telling them, much less anyone else.

It’s still difficult for me to talk about.

Now I’m getting announcements about life events from the friends that I didn’t tell, about their new grandchildren, or of their daughters or sons getting married.

I don’t know what to tell them. I want to congratulate them, but I also feel that they deserve to be told about my wife.

It doesn’t seem right to reply to their wonderful news with my tragic news. I don’t know what to do. Can you help?

— Wondering Widower DEAR WONDERING » Yes, you should start to tell people about your wife’s death. If you can’t bring yourself to do this under any circumstances, I wonder if you can appoint a surrogate to handle this. If you have an intimate friend who you think might be particularly good at this, I think anyone who knows you and loves you would be happy to take on this task in order to help you through it.

Otherwise, write out a little script for yourself. Work on it until it sounds the way you want it to sound.

Maybe this will get you started: “Congratulations on your new grandchild. This is great news, and I know this will mark a new and joyful chapter for you. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch recently, but unfortunately I have sad news of my own to share...”

I’m very sorry you are going through this. Keep in mind that sharing this news gives people the opportunity to express their sympathy, memories and love for you and your late wife. Receiving this outpouring might be hard for you in the moment, but I do believe you will feel better in the long run.

DEAR AMY » I loved your response to “Clean,” the woman whose motherin-law would come to her house and clean like a maniac. You suspected that her mother-in-law might have OCD.

I have lived with OCD (with a co-diagnosis of social anxiety), and it’s best to just let us soothe ourselves for a few moments and we’ll be back to normal again.

This MIL needs to find ways to prepare herself and plan before social gatherings so that she can enjoy time with family and friends.

No matter what we go through, we have to be mindful to maintain those strong relationships with the people who love us.

— Happy OCD Mom DEAR HAPPY » I presented OCD as an idea, not a definitive diagnosis (I can’t diagnose anyone) — mainly because this person’s cleaning seemed to be somewhat ritualized and obsessive. I was also hoping that the daughterin-law could see this as a soothing ritual, versus a verdict on the cleanliness of her own house.

Thank you for sharing your insight.

DEAR AMY » My 10-yearold daughter has a school sponsored Daddy/Daughter Dance coming up.

The dance is “girl’s choice” of escorts, and she has told me it is her year to take her stepfather.

Ever since her mother and I got divorced seven years ago, her mother has done everything possible to convince our children that I am replaceable, including pressuring our daughter to go to this dance with her stepfather rather than me.

My ex and I share custody of our two daughters (the other is 17). I only go to this dance if my custody overlaps with the Friday of the dance. It has overlapped for the last several years, and it does this year, too. I was expecting to attend this year, just as I have in the past.

Amy, this is our second-to-last year for this dance. After that, it’s middle school.

Should I take the high road here and support her choice, even though I know it is being made under duress?

Or is there a way I can let her know I really want to take her without putting pressure on her?

Should I volunteer at the dance so we can at least have one dance together? I usually try to stay above their mom’s hateful behavior toward me, but this really hurts.

— Dad in Turmoil

DEAR DAD » Yes, take the high road. Regardless of your ex-wife’s attitude toward you, your daughter does have a stepfather, and you should respect that he is one of her parents.

He is not her primary dad — you are. But if he is good to her and if she is fond of him, then you should actually be brave enough to encourage this relationship. The more supportive and engaged men she has in her corner, the stronger and confident she will be in her own relationships. Having dads around is great for any kid’s self-esteem.

Given how attached you are to this event, you can imagine that it was hard for her to convey her decision to you. Respect it.

You have managed to make this sweet dance all about you and an endorsement of your relationship. But it isn’t.

No, do not volunteer to chaperone. Your watchful presence could make this already formidable challenge unbearable for her.

Tell your daughter to have a good time, and look forward to next year. DEAR AMY » “Real Mother” was still upset that her son confused her for his mother-in-law years ago while emerging from anesthesia.

Ten years ago in college, my friend had to be put under for an emergency operation. When he awoke, he asked me, “Tiana, I knew you were with me. Will you marry me?”

My name’s John. I later joked with him that he really should have a ring with him next time he proposes.

It’s much more fun than holding a grudge!

— Still Laughing

DEAR LAUGHING » You’ll always be Tiana to me.

Amy Dickinson