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Friends Public Reprimands

I was hurt by a friend who said some mean things to me in front of our group. She blamed me for something that is not my fault, and now she somehow thinks I owe her an apology. I approached her and tried to patch things up, and she treated me as if I was a child. I am fuming inside and I do not know what to do.



You have already tried to take care of your friendship, but now it is time to take care of yourself. Even if your friend's comments were entirely accurate, she was absolutely wrong to voice them in front of your associates. And, for that, if for nothing else, she owes you an apology.

Granted that it is not particularly enjoyable to have someone upset with you, at this point there is not much left for you to do. If you approach this person again, you are going to hear her play parent again.

It would not be surprising to find that your friend has some other baggage that she is bringing to work, and for whatever reason, she dropped it on you. Since this type of behavior presumably is not typical of her, perhaps as she handles whatever personal matters have been upsetting her, she will realize what she has done and will take steps to mend things.

The idea is for you to go on with your business, be friendly and cordial with her, and let some time pass. If she is a real friend, this incident shall also pass.




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