Have a question you want to ask Dear Life Kit anonymously? Share it here. For our next episode, we're looking for your queries on crushes or drama in the workplace. Dear Life Kit is NPR's advice column, where experts answer tricky questions about relationships, social etiquette, work culture and more.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Monica O'Neal: It sounds like her husband is more emotionally available and open with this work bestie. I can imagine that might fall hard on anybody who's on the other side of that. If this work wife isn't giving any kind of deference to his marriage and family life, that is a warning sign there need to be boundaries in place.
Meredith Goldstein: I agree. At The Boston Globe , I have a best friend. But I am not just a work friend. I've been to his home. I've hung out with his family.
When I started dating my partner, he had a good friend. But there was something inside of me that felt she was too overfamiliar. My partner and I argued about it and he said she was just a friend. So I was like, let's do a test. While we were on a trip driving from Colorado to Boston, we took beautiful photos. I told him, "When she messages you, message her back, 'Monica and I are having a great trip.
Look at our photos. She didn't say jack squat about the photos. She didn't even say, "I'm glad you and Monica are having a good time. O'Neal: The therapist in me says be curious and ask: "What is different about this bond [with your colleague] that makes it easier for you to respond in this way?
