My happy, positive, loving, open-minded, outgoing teenage daughter gets along with other people very easily. She's kind by nature and cares deeply about the feelings of others. She's mature for her age and doesn't usually experience drama with people, which is why I'm concerned about a recent situation.
Her best friends for many years is a boy who lives across the street. He always seemed like a very nice boy. Their friendship is strictly platonic.
My daughter dated a boy from school for a week or two, but broke up with him because his behavior seemed abusive (I agreed). She told her best friend because she was hoping for emotional support. He told her that it was impossible that her ex had been abusive, that he knew women who were really being abused and my daughter wasn't one of them. My daughter stopped talking to him. It took him a month to apologize.
Our family is spiritual, but not religious. My daughter reads sacred texts from every religion. She shared her excitement about new things she's been learning with her best friend and he told her that she couldn't possibly believe in the existence of God. He then told her if she talked about God or her beliefs that he'd give her the silent treatment. She stood up for herself. She told him that she felt it was arrogant of him to tell her what she did or didn't think, feel, or believe and even more so since he'd threatened to give her the silent treatment for talking about something that he'd never in the past had any problem with. She ignored him for about a month and he eventually apologized.
My daughter (almost 18) watched Game of Thrones, but she found the show too violent (it gave her nightmares.) She told her best friend this. He sent her taunting text messages and Game of Thrones-themed porn. She showed me the messages he sent her. I thought them creepy and disturbing.
My daughter wants to block his number, email address and social media profiles. I agree that she should do that. However, being that my daughter is a decent person, she at least wants to send him one last email stating that they've grown apart as friends rather than just severing all contact without saying something to him. His behavior has her feeling distressed and upset.
Does he even deserve an email from her saying that they've grown apart as friends before she blocks him? Should she block him, especially being that since this type of behavior began it hasn't stopped? What would have caused him to change so radically? Could he be mentally ill, a bully, a coward and insecure? Might he be drinking or using drugs? Should I speak with his parents since they live right across the street?
My daughter just informed me that her best friend recently told her that all of his ex-girlfriends ended up in therapy following dumping him, but he didn't elaborate. He might just be an abusive individual and it took a long time for the mask to come off.