Dear Carol, 

I go to a small school, and this one girl has started to get really clingy. It’s getting hard for me to hang out with my other friends. She’s nice but only talks about herself. How do I get space without being rude?

-Clingy Friend

Dear Clingy Friend,

Not an easy situation, though very common. When she talks too much about herself, can you say, “That reminds me of when I was in a similar situation,” and then offer stories of your own? Winter break will help shake things up for you. And you can even say, “I don’t mind if you hang out with other girls, so I hope you don’t mind when I do. People can have more than one close friend.”

Carol Weston is the author of 16 books, including Girltalk, Speed of Life and Ava and Pip. Follow her on Insta @carolwestonnyc and visit carolweston.com.

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