I received the following email recently from an AHW reader who was seeking advice on how she can manage a sticky situation with two of her friends. Read on…

Dear Action Heroes Wanted,

I am writing you in hopes I can get some advice on maintaining two friendships. My problem is that I have two friends who get jealous of each other if one is spending time with me while the other is not. The two of them fight like crazy. They also fight when all three of us are together. They bicker about every little thing and to make it worse, they want me to take sides. It is upsetting to me because I really like them, especially when they are not together. I have told them to stop fighting and that I don't like one more than the other. Please let me know what I should do. My summer was wrecked because of their fighting.

Jenny V.

Age 13

Columbus, Ohio

---

Hello Jenny. I can relate to the situation your are having with your friends. Your options in this situation are limited. You can either avoid your two friends and break off the relationships with them or you can be more tactful and firmer in your approach. I will explain what I mean in a minute but first I have two recommendations for you.

• No matter how frustrated you get with either of your friends, never take sides. You might agree with one of them, but always remain neutral.
• Do not participate in the drama that your friends create when they fight. No one will benefit from it, especially you!

Now here is my suggestion to resolve this bickering issue. The next time your friends are over and start to fight, ask them to leave. Be firm and hold your ground. Explain to them that you will not tolerate the fighting and will not let it wreck your day. I assure you the fighting between your two friends will quit if you do this a couple of times.

Keep me posted and let me know how it goes. I look forward to hearing from you.

-B

Please note that I am not a therapist, psychiatrist or counselor of any kind, so my suggestions are nothing more than that. What works for me might not work for everyone. I am just an eleven years old girl from Michigan who has a blog.