LIFE

Dear Carol,

My childhood BFF and I have been close since we were babies. We get along really well, even though I’m always moving from place to place. We’ve always texted each other, but over the summer, she didn’t really reply as much. I figured she was probably busy with activities and stuff. At the end of the summer, my family went back to the town we used to live in. My BFF had changed a lot. She barely spoke to me and when we did talk, it was all about her new friends. I also found out she had gotten her period as well as braces (she never told me).

- Confused And Hurt By BFF

Dear Confused And Hurt By BFF,

I’m sorry you’re hurting. Since you no longer live in the same town and she’s acting more distant, I hope you can invest your energy into finding friends in your new school rather than trying to turn back the clock. It’s normal for preschool besties to grow apart. In fact, it would be strange if children picked their teen BFFs and that was that—no wiggle room, even if everyone developed different interests. You can’t stay super close to everyone, so try to focus on the future: I predict that in September, you’re going to make an important new friend.

Carol Weston is the author of 16 books, including Girltalk, Ava and Pip and Speed of Life, which is a novel about a 14-year-old girl who writes to an advice columnist. Check out carolweston.com and follow her on Instagram @carolwestonnyc.

Still need friendship advice? Read more Dear Carol here:
💌 "Dear Carol, I'm scared of being ditched by my friends"
💌 "Dear Carol, My best friend is acting really weird"
💌 "Dear Carol, Everyone assumes that my friend has a crush on me"

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by GL | 9/5/2024