Ask the Fourth Graders: When a good friend starts treating you badly

Question: What do you do when someone you thought was a really good friend suddenly starts treating you badly?

In addition to the video response, Alexa and her mom, Lauren, offer this response: Many people have had situations like this, where they are disappointed by the behavior of a good friend they thought they trusted and could count on. If a friend starts treating you badly, no matter how close you feel to that person, you do not need to accept bad treatment. If you tell the friend how she’s making you feel and she continues to mistreat you, you have to accept that maybe that friend isn’t the person you thought she was, and you should move on and focus on other friendships that make you feel good and happy. You should always be nice and civil to the friend who hurt you, because it will make you feel better to be nice and civil to everyone, but that doesn’t mean you need to continue to be close with her. You can even be open to being friends again in the future, but sometimes you learn things about people that you can’t un-learn and you move forward with that in mind.