Miss Prim November 2011
Dear Ms. Prim,
A lot of my friends have criticized me for being super flaky. We try to do a weekly thing where we get together every weekend and hang out. Usually, we do something fairly normal like go to a movie or get drunk and embarrass ourselves in a karaoke bar. However, my friends have been complaining lately because I’ve missed our weekly hang out session for the last couple of weeks. They’re pretty pissed at me for letting it become a habit.
Now, I have to admit that I don’t have any kind of really important thing keeping me from showing up. I kind of just enjoy spending a lot of time alone, but is that some kind of a crime? Being my friends, I would think they’d afford me the right to be flaky. I don’t think they should ride me like a potential employer would if I was late for a job interview.
I guess my question is, “How much am I allowed to take advantage of my friends, knowing they’ll allow me to be flaky because they’re my friends?” I mean, how much leeway should I expect from them when it comes to skipping out on planned things? Also, does doing that too much make me a dick?
-angelboreanz3309
Dear Angel,
Honey, I see what you’re saying about being a loner and not wanting to hang out with your friends every weekend. Some people just aren’t social butterflies like yours truly. However, part of being a friend is being there for them, even for something as humdrum as a weekly gathering. As my dear mama once told me, “Friendships are like plants. If you don’t take care of them regularly, they’ll die.”
Now, something I want to talk about is this weird idea that you can be flaky with your friends. Sweetheart, if you feel the need to stay away from them that much, I’d question whether or not you really consider them your friends. Friends are people you want to spend your time with. If it’s really a chore, there’s something wrong with that picture. At one point in your letter, you literally asked how much you are “…allowed to take advantage of [your] friends." That just isn't a good sign about your attitude towards them, now is it?
On top of all that, being flaky is just rude. I’m, of course, talking about not showing up at all rather than just being fashionably late (no more than 10-15 minutes). The former says you don’t care while the latter is always completely and absolutely okay. Being rude is never good, especially to your friends. And to answer the last question in your email: yes, dear, it surely does.
Got a question? I promise I've got an opinion! Send me an email: msprim@igniteisonline.com
Miss Prim likes to think that the occasional pearl of wisdom falls from her mouth, but the only thing she's licensed to do is drive a car (and, honey, have you seen her driving?!).
|
|
Tweet |
|