Question
What advice would you give to a child whose friend at one point called her a chicken for not wanting to be rude to an older man who asked that she stop playing in some water at a local park (he was concerned about wasting water) and then later introduced the child to another person, saying "This is _____, my friend. Just ask her to do whatever you need. She's a pushover." The child didn't say anything at the time, but is wondering about this friendship. The friend is giving in some ways, but in others she is always asking, will you do this or that for me and then she sometimes says awkward, hurtful things -- like the above examples. Is this just a normal part of friendship? Or is there something wrong with the friend? Even after the child confronted the "friend" about her words and said she wondered if the friend really thought of her as a pushover and kind of just wanted her to be around for the things she could do, the friend took offense and said she couldn't believe the child would even think that. The friend later brought a gift and said she was sorry, but she really hasn't wanted to have much to do with child since. Any opinions or suggestions on this situation?
