Tag: conflict

A frayed friendship between partners spills over to their business

Published: December 30, 2014 | By | 4 Replies Continue Reading

A stormy relationship between partners threatens their business.

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An unsettling blow-up with a passive-aggressive friend

Published: December 11, 2012 | Last Updated: December 11, 2012 By | 26 Replies Continue Reading

I’ve recently called it quits with a very long-term friend, 28 years to be exact (I’m 40). I realized I was in a passive-aggressive relationship for years and found myself completely fed up.

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Feeling awkward and conflicted about a threesome

Published: October 6, 2012 | Last Updated: August 9, 2015 By | 12 Replies Continue Reading

Friendships among threesomes are often fraught with difficulty.

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When a friend seems to be saying, “Go take a hike”

Published: April 23, 2012 | Last Updated: April 23, 2012 By | 4 Replies Continue Reading

QUESTION  Dear Irene, I’m a college senior. My best friend and I have been fighting and generally having problems all year. Over the past two years, we spent most of our time together. I honestly thought we enjoyed spending that much time together.   When I was really stressed out because of a huge assignment, […]

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Sisters Who Aren’t the Best of Friends—Right Now

Published: April 10, 2012 | Last Updated: April 10, 2012 By | 1 Reply Continue Reading

QUESTION  Dear Irene, My sister is two years older than me. We’ve had a pretty good relationship throughout the years although our teen years have really taken a toll. She moved out of the house with my mama and me, and moved in with our dad about a year ago.   My mama and my […]

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Do I have to be friends with a difficult sister-in-law?

Published: August 21, 2011 | Last Updated: April 2, 2016 By | Reply Continue Reading

Relationships with sister-in-laws can be complicated — especially for women, who tend to be the “connectors” or glue that holds families together.

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Friendship Calculus: The Problem of Three

Published: March 21, 2011 | Last Updated: November 5, 2021 By | 2 Replies Continue Reading

When three people are good friends, it’s not unusual for two of them to become closer to each other over time. In your situation, what made the change especially painful is that you introduced these two women to each other and now they are excluding you.

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Why Don’t Friends Just Talk About It?

Published: April 8, 2010 | Last Updated: October 26, 2021 By | 33 Replies Continue Reading

A woman asks why friends don’t just talk about it when problems surface in a relationship. Many times, they just ditch the friendship.

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Big hurts, little hurts, and apologies

Published: March 29, 2009 | Last Updated: March 30, 2009 By | Reply Continue Reading

A reader of this blog wrote: I have been trying to read some things on-line about how to deal with an ex-best friend and came across information about your book and your profile. I look forward to the release of your book and am curious as to its content, including your recommendations for dealing with […]

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Reader Q & A: I’m stuck! I don’t want to lose my BFF

Published: July 23, 2008 | Last Updated: July 23, 2008 By | 4 Replies Continue Reading

QUESTION: Dear Irene: I met my friend “Amanda” in high school. I was a junior and she was a freshman, so we’ve been best friends (BFFs) for 9 years. Our friendship over the years has survived a lot. The trouble I am having is deciding whether I should hold on to the friendship or not? […]

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