Dear Queenie,
A friend and I have another best friend who’s been with us for years! Lately she’s becoming rather clingy and sort of copying what we do. It really bugs us and we were kind of mean to her a year ago because of the influence of another friend.
We’re sort of close now, but I get angry whenever she doesn’t stand up for us or she even copies us! It gets really annoying when she pretends to like something for the sake of people liking her. She jumbles up her stories about her life and whenever we refer to what she has done she changes it again and again!
We don’t want to confront her, not even gently, because she and her family are going down a bumpy road.
Queenie, we love her to death, but we can’t stand her most of the time! What to do?—3rd Musketeer
Dear 3rd Musketeer,
It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but any kind of flattery can become tiresome. And “enhancing” the truth is never a good idea.
Sit down with her and explain, in a non-confrontational manner, how you feel about what she does, and why it would be a good idea for her to change these annoying ways. Perhaps you can help her to modify her behaviour. If not, you may have to distance yourselves from her, for all your sakes.
