Dr. Irene S. Levine

QUESTION

Hi Irene,

My so-called friend deleted me on Facebook because of an accidental slip-of-the-tongue. I told her I didn't like her cousin. I thought telling the truth even though it hurts was the right thing.

In addition to deleting me on Facebook, she talks about me behind my...

QUESTION

Hi Irene,

A dear friend of mine seems to be in denial of certain mental issues and I don't know how to proceed. None of her other friends do, either, and a lot of people have just given up on her. She is one of the sweetest and most...

We arrive for our cooking class in Sorrento, Italy, on Pasquetta, the Monday after Easter -- a national holiday celebrated by families throughout Italy. It seems appropriate that today everyone is focused on food and camaraderie.

When we reach the driveway of Villa Ida, we are greeted by Roberta Cuomo,...

QUESTION

Hi Irene,

After a night of drinking on two different occasions, a very close friend and I ended up having a lesbian affair two times. This was a not a casual friendship, but a close friendship of three years.

We tried to discuss what happened but didn't make much...

Dear Irene,

My sister is two years older than me. We've had a pretty good relationship throughout the years although our teen years have really taken a toll. She moved out of the house with my mama and me, and moved in with our dad about a year ago.

A lesson in the history and culture of Peru through its foods

We are sitting in the dining room of a spacious, sunlit, modern apartment located only a few hundred steps from a high cliff overlooking the Pacific. Gazing through the floor-to-ceiling windows at palm trees and waves meeting the...

When situations change, friendships may change, too. If the bonds are strong, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of the friendship.

QUESTION

Hi Irene,

I became really close friends with this girl that works in my local community center. We were best friends, and always shared banter, gossip...

QUESTION

Hi Irene,

My husband, son and I moved into a new subdivision five years ago and we've grown very close with five other neighbors. The past three summers have been wonderful; the parents hang out on the patio and watch all the kids play.

One woman was...

Foodies are redefining shipboard dining.

Cruise ship dining once conjured up images of gluttons bellying up to the buffet. Now gastronomy trumps gluttony: A more discerning generation of foodies is selecting ships and itineraries based on their culinary allure. In response, cruise lines -- from mainstream to luxury -- are...

When my husband and I arrived for dinner at the Waves Grill on the 12th deck of the Oceania Marina, our table for two was set with colorful bone china and crystal wine glasses. But instead of flowers, the dinner table decor was quite different this night: Seder plates were...

Middle school lunchroom antics persist into middle age and beyond...

QUESTION

I am 60 years old, but am still sensitive about my friends not including me in things. For example, I went to a concert with two of them and I was the driver. While we were together, they...

QUESTION

Hi Irene,

I've been struggling about what to do about my friend Jennifer, whom I've known for 14 years. She really took me aback with a letter she wrote me almost a year ago. It included everything I had done that had upset her, all the way back to...

Proximity can play an important role in making or breaking a friendship.

QUESTION

Hi Irene,

My friend and I used to be really close, however, I live at least an hour away and I can't drive. We've slowly drifted apart, she answers calls less, responds to messages less, and...

Question

Hi Irene,

My best friend and I have been buddies for nearly twelve years, having met during our freshman year of high school. We're now in our mid-twenties. I can't help but feel like she never quite grew up. This feeling stems mostly from her dependence on other people...

QUESTION

Dear Irene,

I'm a junior in high school who has never been the most popular person. I'm generally the weird girl who eats lunch alone reading a book. However, over the past couple of years, I've made a few incredible friends.

One of these is a guy who knows...

We're zooming across the aquamarine water off Los Cabos, Mexico in a 15-passenger inflatable boat. Although they're easily spotted from shore, we're told that if we want a glimpse of the whales migrating along the coast, our best bet is a fast boat and a trained guide.

...

Unfortunately, sometimes the only way to get over the hump is tincture of time ...

QUESTION

Dear Irene,

I am struggling with a friend that said she needs "space." I realize she is in a trying time in her life. Her mother is dying of cancer and...

Terrible news has a way of traveling almost instantaneously over very long distances. On Friday evening, I was vacationing in Mexico when I learned that Wall Street Journal columnist and best-selling author Jeffrey Zaslow was killed in a car crash on a snowy road in northern Michigan earlier...

When parents go through a divorce, there can be friendship fallout for kids

QUESTION

Dear Irene,

My formerly popular 11-year old granddaughter is being shunned by her BFFs to the point that she doesn't want to go to school (which she formerly loved). Her parents are going through a divorce,...

Adults can help children learn the social skills they need to make friends and get along with others.

QUESTION

Hi Irene,