DEAR ABBY: My daughter "Tiffany" is 12. Her best friend, "Wendy," lives down the block. We are good friends with her parents.
How do I put this: Wendy is a thief. She has no impulse control. When she comes over, she helps herself to whatever is lying around, mostly candy and trinkets. For this reason, we no longer allow friends into our children's rooms.
Recently, another item went missing, and my daughter spotted it at Wendy's house. I told her she should say something and take it back, but she is shy. I want to say something to the parents, but I'm afraid it will ruin our friendship. I don't think the mother knows her daughter does these things. Any ideas? -- STICKY FINGERS
DEAR STICKY FINGERS: If the shoe was on the other foot and your daughter was stealing things from her friends' homes, wouldn't you want to know what was going on so you could deal with it? Talk to Wendy's mother! Tell her you don't want to spoil a friendship you treasure, but Wendy has a problem she needs to know about. If you ignore it, the problem will only escalate.