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If you valued a friendship wouldn't you try to hold on to it?

15 replies

PollyPelargonium52 · 10/06/2020 05:00

I had this 'friend' for two years whom I only met twice. I did not warm to her totally in the beginning so for the first year or so I kept my distance and felt quite dubious.

I slowly got to know her more and we both warmed to each other as we slowly opened up. We both run a business of our own and it was helpful to know somebody who was also working for themselves to combat the feelings of isolation that can sometimes come up.

For 3-4 months her business was really struggling for money and I tried to help her so much. It got that I did not feel she valued my opinion or my time and friendship as all she did was ignore all the advice and support I gave no matter what I said. Even though I know it would have helped her. I don't expect somebody to take on board everything I say as each to their own and all that but why be so foolish as to not take heed of some of my advice as I know it would have really helped?

In the end I had to call it a day as I was finding it draining and it was blocking me from living my life in a positive way. It was too time consuming and draining for me. I sent her a text on the day I wished to stop speaking on the 'phone. I offered to just keep in touch by text and no longer any 'phone calls. She rejected this and just decided to no longer be in contact. Which is fine as I felt relieved.

Now I have had time to think about this I am wondering how much did she value my friendship after all to not so much as listen to 3-4 months of really good advice. I know people have to be ready for taking steps towards improving their life/work etc but to be so foolish as to not listen to a jot of what I was saying was making me feel the friendship was getting more and more pointless as it was only endlessly negative.

Also wouldn't she have just accepted the friendship on the basis of texts only until she got less demanding and such a strain. I have my 15 year old teenage boy to bring up without family support and in limited health and limited means. I am up against enough as it is.

If I value a friendship I try to hold on to it that is all I am saying. Although to be honest I had had enough of her muddle confusion and stress by that stage. There is only so much a person can cope with. She has other friends to talk to so perhaps I am just one of several sounding boards for her long life of drama queen and negativity. I won't ever really know what was in her mind but what does anybody think? It isn't as if I want the friendship back as I can't see her changing. She will only do this again in the future as she is quite brazen and insensitive. I would just like to know what views other may have on the matter so I can get an angle on people like that in the future? It was very much a friendship where I was helping and she was taking throughout. She also told me a number of lies which came to light slowly (too boring to go into).

It has put me off people but then I am feeling that way during this lockdown nightmare with ds affected by no school. This severing of the friendship was before lockdown and it has done me the world of good to step away. It is just I would like new friends who get self-employment in the future ....?

OP posts:
isabellerossignol · 10/06/2020 05:05

The drama and negativity and lies sound like it wasn't worth pursuing the friendship anyway.

But on the other hand, she doesn't owe it to you to follow your advice, yet you sound aggrieved that she didn't. If I were her, I would no longer wish to be friends with you either to be honest.

As an outsider hearing one side of the story it just sounds like you never really liked her anyway, yet you feel strongly that she shouldn't feel the same way about you.

Cut your losses and find new friends where you both value each other.

PollyPelargonium52 · 10/06/2020 05:21

No on the contrary I did get to like her more and more. I do agree that she doesn't have to take my advice nor does anybody indeed but the endless negativity drama and stress is too much alongside a teenager on my own with no practical backup of any kind (no family support).

OP posts:
Desertserges · 10/06/2020 05:23

You sound as if you have zero self-knowledge and completely misunderstand the generally-accepted meaning of ‘friend’, OP. Did she even want all the advice you seem to have subjected her to over months? And you say you’ve known her two years, but didn’t warm to her for one of those years, and have only actually met her twice? So this ‘friendship’ in fact consisted of you giving her unwanted advice over the phone for several months?

grisen · 10/06/2020 05:33

I’m on friends side too, I had friends like that. I cut them out as it became too much to always have someone else’s opinion just because they do something vaguely similar. In my case we both went to uni, vastly different subject, different parts of the world. Yet when we spoke my worries and my struggles were met with advise that didn’t suit my experience. For me it lead to depression and anxiety. We’d known each other since birth practically so we were actually much closer than you and your friend.

grisen · 10/06/2020 05:37

Oops hit send too soon.

But your friend might also run a business but it doesn’t mean your advise would have worked for her anyways.

PollyPelargonium52 · 10/06/2020 05:38

It was one of those friendships where I gave more than I got back which can obviously happen and I do enjoy other friendships where they give me plenty of support when I need them to. I found her quite brazen and unable to support me most of the time but I hung on to the friendship as it was good to discuss the ups and downs of self employment as not many people that I know get that. Working for oneself can be very isolating and it is really hard to find like minded friends who get this. Although I do know one other friend who runs her own business and is a very positive person so I can always talk to her. Unfortunately some friends just run their course and I guess it is one of these situations.

OP posts:
PollyPelargonium52 · 10/06/2020 05:49

The advice I was giving was what by far the majority of people would do who were running their businesses. I was only trying to help her get out of her pit. It is hard enough to get ds to co-operatie these difficult teenage years without adults being in a self-inflicted mess with their lives. There is only so much I can cope with as I have ds alone and his dad barely helps at the best of times.

OP posts:
isabellerossignol · 10/06/2020 05:49

It doesn't matter what the advice was, clearly she didn't want it.

Desertserges · 10/06/2020 05:59

You keep talking about your friend’s ‘mess’ being too much to cope with because you have a teenager and no family help — but the point is that she didn’t want you to deal with her mess at all, surely? She didn’t ask you to put yourself out, didn’t take your advice, and ended the friendship. You say you were relieved. Now you seem retrospectively furious that she didn’t ‘value the friendship’, and complain about her not ‘supporting’ you. Are you confusing friendship with a small business owner advice scheme?

lifestooshort123 · 10/06/2020 08:10

The message I'm getting here is that you would have liked her to be supportive towards you and your struggles as a single mum with a teenager. To meet someone only twice and conduct the 'work friendship' over the phone where you gave her plenty of well meant (but ill-received) advice does not bode well for this type of relationship. It sounds as though she saw the set up differently to you. I'd look elsewhere for emotional and practical support in the future.

VettiyaIruken · 10/06/2020 08:16

Did she ask you for your constant advice?

I'm also a small business owner. What works for me wouldn't necessarily work for others and if there's one thing I've learned in business and in life it's that never ever give advice unless the person says the words "what do you think I should do?"

And sometimes, not even then!

Trevsadick · 10/06/2020 08:19

this reads to me that it wasnt an actual friendship. It was more of a business friendship.

She kept pushing advice that she didn't want. Then got offended she didn't take it. The business is hers, if she succeeds or fails she need know she did what she felt was right at the time. Not doing what other people told her too.

You now related her to a text friendship only and are moaning she wasn't grovelling grateful you hadn't cut you off completely.

She may have been a crap friend. You dont sound great either and she doesn't have to be grateful for the scraps of friendship you have offered her.

Branleuse · 10/06/2020 10:37

Sounds to me like she just wanted someone to moan at, and for you to have zero opinion or two way help

Fuck that. Youre not her therapist. Glad its over

GalwayGrowl · 10/06/2020 10:44

Weird. You only met her twice? It sounds like she saw you as more of a business acquaintance rather than a friend. Why would you expect someone you've met twice to support you in bringing up a teenager?

Did she actually ask for your advice?

PolkaDotsPolka · 10/06/2020 11:29

If a friend messaged me and said they only wanted a text based friendship, no phone calls, I'd assume they didn't value my friendship so wouldn't try to hold onto it.

Probably best to just let this one go.

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