Tag: birthday
When Exchanging Gifts Feels Awkward
During the pandemic, even exchanging gifts with friends can feel strange when everything else seems to be topsy-turvy.
Is it okay to retract an invitation to a friend?
Retracting an invitation is never easy but friendships and circumstances change–especially in middle school.
Not speaking: Should I wish her a happy birthday?
After two friends have a disagreement, one wonders if she should still send the other birthday greetings.
Parenting and friendship: Teaching kids to do the right thing
A mom worries that her daughter isn’t doing the right thing by disappointing a friend on her birthday.
Walking on eggshells
QUESTION Hi Irene, I haven’t spoken to an old best friend for quite some time. I was the last one to initiate contact after the relationship had become uncomfortable. I decided to stop and see if she would contact me. It wasn’t that I didn’t get a response but I felt like the response was […]
When close friends become far-away friends
What do you do when close friends become far-away friends?
Friendship: The importance of showing up
QUESTION Dear Irene, I have been friends with Amy since high school, and we are now mothers in our 30s. I have a 10-year-old and another baby on the way. Last August, I got married and that’s when things went weird. My husband and I had a very small intimate wedding: only immediate family, and […]
A friend you can count on…well, sometimes
QUESTION Dear Irene: My friend sent me a message on Facebook (a personal message, not where it could be read by everyone). She said: Hey, your birthday is coming up Friday, what do you want to do? She said she wanted us to do something, just her and me. She said her boyfriend didn’t want […]
Exurb Magazine: 5 Questions with The Friendship Doctor
The Friendship Doctor was recently interviewed by Victoria Clayton-Alexander, editor of Exurb Magazine.
Four calls before 8AM
As long as I can remember, my mom has called me at 7:46AM on every single birthday. That’s the precise time when I was born. I remember years when I resented her calling as I was rushing to get to work or was taking advantage of a rare chance to sleep in on a weekend. […]
