It was hard thing for me to realize, but I finally did.  No matter how nice, courteous, friendly, caring, and giving you are – not everyone will like you.  It even crushes my heart a little just saying it now, but it’s true.  Human nature calls for people to be jealous, envious, angry, and hurtful.  It’s only through wisdom that we learn to recognize these shortcomings in ourselves and know how to look beyond them or work past them.

Even so, there are people I don’t like.  And there are people who don’t like me.

Where spouses get divorced and boyfriends and girlfriends break up, this is sometimes also the way of friendships.  If you’ve been friends with someone for a short- or long-time and you realize it’s just not worth the effort you put into it and there’s something wrong or off-balance at the most basic level, then why be around that person if it makes you unhappy?

I’ve recently heard of two girls who had “friendship” break-ups.  The person at the receiving end of the break-up is always the one hurt the most because – face it – no one enjoys being rejected.  My worst friend break-up was due to being blindsided.  I went to a party at her house and had perhaps one of the best times of my life laughing, cooking, eating, talking.   Three families got together and we meshed really well.

However after that she told me she didn’t like my children so didn’t want to be my friend any longer.  I was crushed, devastated.  I didn’t understand how one of the happiest moments of my life could lead to that end.  It was very painful.

That’s why it’s also really hard to see when it happens to school-aged children.  Have you ever had to break off a friendship?  Why?  How did you do it?  Face-to-face honesty or did you just slowly stop talking?