Advice from Annie Lane.
When I was a teenager, I had a big dilemma, and I would like to know how you would have solved it. My closest friend, “Joanne,” lived just a few minutes away but had terrible punctuality when it came to getting together. She would often be up to a few hours late getting to my house, which sometimes led to me having to cancel our plans.
Sometimes she would get a call from a neighbor to babysit at the last minute and she wouldn’t show up at my house at all. I told her I didn’t mind if she cancelled for that reason, but just call and tell me so I know. Anyway, one day I had tickets for the two of us to see some event together , and as usual, she was very late getting to my house. I waited as long as I could before I finally called her. This was in the ‘90s, long before we all had cellphones. Her sister answered and told me Joanne had taken a babysitting job and was not home. Frustrated but short on time, I called up my friend “Katie” and asked if she wanted to go to the event with me.
Over the years, I’ve occasionally thought about that incident and wondered if I did the right thing. My husband said I could have offered to let Joanne and Katie go together, something that didn’t even cross my mind at the time. Anyway, what would you have done in that situation?: You did the right thing. Please let yourself off the hook for something that occurred over 20 years ago. I disagree with your husband.
Joanne was really late and being disrespectful to you. Hopefully, she learned a valuable lesson that night about the importance of punctuality. In addition, I hope she investigated why her sister was being so mean to her and to you.Annie Lane offers common-sense solutions to everyday problems. She's firm, funny and sympathetic, echoing the style of her biggest inspiration, Ann Landers. She lives outside Manhattan with her husband, two kids and two dogs.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dear Annie: Parent of child who succumbed to addiction offers adviceI miss my son every day, but I wouldn’t take one bit of my time away from him, even though many of those times were bleak.
Read more »
Dear Annie: I’m still second-guessing a choice I made decades agoIn today's Dear Annie column, Annie Lane tries to put a reader at ease over a choice she made in her younger days to go to an event without her tardy friend.
Read more »
Dear Annie: I’m still struggling with my wife’s infidelity 25 years laterAdvice from Annie Lane.
Read more »
Dear Annie: Was I right to go to a show without my perpetually late friend?Over the years, I’ve occasionally thought about that incident and wondered if I did the right thing.
Read more »
Dear Annie: They say they sent thank-you notes, but I never received anyIn today's Dear Annie column, a reader comments on two recent gifts they sent who thinks the recipients should have sent a second thank-you note after being notified they hadn't received the first ones.
Read more »
Dear Annie: My boyfriend ignores boundariesAdvice from Annie Lane.
Read more »