My daughter’s ex ended things about five months ago after over a year together—seemed like he wanted to play the field, which is fair enough, but he also blamed her for his unhappiness and left the door open with a ‘maybe someday’ excuse. Her friends were never really fans of his, but since a recent college trip, they’ve been socializing with him more.
Now, her core friend group is having parties that include him, and she’s feeling stuck—worried that if she asks to join, they might choose him over her. It’s hard to see her feeling left out by the very people she’s always counted on. I’m stuck on what advice to give, whether she should ask about going to a party or just trying to ignore the constant talk before and after these parties but it’s left her very much alone as her friends are all sharing these moments. She’s struggled with the breakup so being around her ex wouldn’t be ideal but she’s missing out on experiences that her friends are having and the inside jokes etc.
She’s our only teenage girl and her brothers thankfully have moved through the teen years relatively smoothly so we’re not quite sure how to handle it.