RE: WWYD: Friends who don't call back?
On the other side of the issue...I'm one of those people who is horribly bad at returning phone calls. It's not that I don't love my friends, in fact I think of them often, I'm just so crazy busy that I tend to focus on the urgent (DS shrieking for my attention) and then one day I realize it's been almost four months since I've talked to my best friend. Shame on me.
Recognizing the problem is a great start, but I don't seem to be making any headway toward improving it. When friends do call, I always make a point of saying "I am so happy that you called, I love to hear from you, I have been thinking of you often." I would be so sad to think that a friend was worried I was deliberately shutting them out. So, I apologize a lot for being so bad at keeping in touch. I am always delighted when a friend makes the effort to call and maintain contact. I know that I suck at it.
That said, if a close friend approached me and said "it hurts my feelings when you don't call me or take responsibility for making plans together," I would REALLY try to do better. If it bothers you that much, you might try that approach. Alternately, you might take pride in being the "cruise director" that makes plans in your social circle, and accept that some of your friends are bad at initiating contact but have other important gifts to offer. As long as you're comfortable with your choice and don't feel taken advantage of, I think your daughter will be seeing a good role model for friendships either way.
Cindy, Mommy to DS 2/04 and DS 2/08