Dear Prudence,
I have a friend who’s newly engaged, has no children, and lives a few hours away. (I’m married with two kids.) We’ve been friends for as long as we both can remember. We consider each other best friends, although lately it has been very one-sided—or maybe it always has been. I call or text regularly to check in, maybe send pictures of my kids, or share updates. She rarely calls and rarely texts me back, and when she finally does, it’s days later, maybe even weeks. She has a barrage of wealthy “friends” whom she travels with constantly. It may be jealousy on my part that I’m bothered by that. I feel as though our friendship has taken a back seat to her “single” life and I am the only one reaching out to keep in touch. Does a friendship require as much work as a marriage?
—One-Sided Friendship