# Protocol: When A Friend Moves Away... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-when-a-friend-moves-away/163949 "2003-03-25T03:40:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-when-a-friend-moves-away/163949/1 "2003-03-25T03:40:45Z")
A good friend of mine moved to Florida. He promised to send me his address once he got settled down there. Months pass, and not a word… A few times, however, I ran into his Mom who begged me to write her son. She asked me to call her for his address. I was kinda pissed…shouldn’t he have written me with his new address? Also, I never told his Mom how I felt…would you have told her? I should mention that, a few years back, he took the time to send me a few postcards from his journey along the Orient’s part of the Pacific rim. So, if he could find time then to write…couldn’t he take a moment to drop me a change of address card? What do you think? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-when-a-friend-moves-away/163949/2 "2003-03-25T03:43:09Z")
I think that moving is really stressful, and he may think he already sent it- I just moved away from NY to NC and I cannot believe the things that have slipped my mind. Call, get the addy, and write. I’m sure it was an oversight. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-when-a-friend-moves-away/163949/3 "2003-03-25T09:20:33Z")
Mail can be unreliable. I send postcards to friends from my travels. Sometimes they don’t receive them, and in one instance a friend said she received half of my card! ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-when-a-friend-moves-away/163949/4 "2003-03-25T09:25:42Z")
Zette and Violet give good answers for giving someone the benefit of the doubt. I think I had preconceived notions since my friend was financially better off, perhaps I assumed he easily forgot his old friends which he probably wouldn’t see again… Maybe I was too quick to jump to this conclusion… - Jinx :o ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-when-a-friend-moves-away/163949/5 "2003-03-25T13:20:00Z")
Write to him. If he blows you off, you know the relationship has changed. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-when-a-friend-moves-away/163949/6 "2003-03-25T13:40:52Z")
Feh. I can’t speak for your friends, but mine are all bastards. I live one state away and I never get phone calls, mail or e-mail from any of them. Thus far this year, I have gotten two phone calls - both from the same friend, and only because he called a month early the first time to wish me a happy birthday. Considering your pal just moved all the way down the coast and probably has some pretty important things on his mind, I say give’em a chance. Get the addy and mail’em. Then wait and see. If he doesn’t get back to you, complain to his mom. That’s what I do. 😃