Friendships can be difficult, but your teenagers needs to figure that out for himself. Telling him, “That’s how friends are. Get used to it.” is not helpful. Keep it to yourself.
As adults, we know the signs that friendships are not really true friendships. We also know the signs when a true friend comes along. But our teenagers don’t. The teenage years are meant for figuring these things out. Let your teen figure it out on his own. Preaching the end result – that’s how friends are – robs him of the learning and makes him feel stupid. Back off, let him figure it out.
It’s going to be hard because you want to rescue him from the pain, but he needs to feel it in order to grow and learn. Be there to support him through the difficult time with his friend. But keep the commentary to yourself.
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