Old
Friends Feel Neglected Because of
New College Friends
Dear
Harlan,
Two of my closest friends are younger than I am and aren't
going to college in the fall. The problem is that they're
giving me a hard time for being excited about the big move.
I went to orientation and met tons of people, and have made
some close friends. However, I've tried my hardest not to
forget about my friends at home. But it seems as though my
two friends aren't taking my move all that well. I think they
feel as though I'm abandoning them. Lately, they won't talk
to me, and whenever I approach them to talk about everything,
they say, "Go have fun in college with your new friends!"
What else is there that I can do to save two of my strongest
friendships?
Louisiana
Dear Louisiana,
These
guys are such big babies. They have no clue what you're going
through and no idea that being a friend would mean supporting
you during this huge transition. All they can see is that
you're hanging out with other people, and that's a problem.
I mean, what do they want? For you to not make any friends?
Since they won't talk to you, send them an e-mail and set
them straight. Tell them that you're dealing with a lot of
changes and could use their support more than ever. Your friendship
is not ending, it's just changing. They'll always be your
friends for life, and you hope you can make friends in college
so that they can become friends with your new friends. The
alternative would be making no friends in college, and true
friends would never want that for their friend.
