[Klaipeda]

Hi, I appreciate all the advices

My colleague at work is very childish with me( I am a woman and she is a woman ):she is always smiling to me. She greets me when I come to work but she also makes faces to me thinking that it is extremely funny.(puts her tongue out, etc), all the customers can see that, she does it in front of our customers.. I asked her not to do that because I don't like it. She stopped for a while and started again.Yesterday at one point she started teasing me and teaching me how to speak when I was joking with one of my colleagues. I didn't say anything regarding it as inappropriate but silly comment not worth attention.Then she started speaking to me in demanding voice to do something ( jokingly as she said) so other customers could see that also. I responded like that ' I don't do anything for you if you will be that rude'.
She confronted me after couple of minutes saying' I want to show you how to control yourself'.I was surprised very much. And said to her " stop interrupting me if I talk, stop telling me what to do in demanding voice and stop teaching me how to behave.She was very dissatisfied and unhappy and said that she was joking when she was speaking to me in demanding voice. I said OK then, I was also joking what's the problem? But she still was dissatisfied as if she has a right to joke and I don't . ( It seemed to me she cannot understand my jokes and I must understand hers).

But after couple of minutes she again acted like nothing happened..

My question is : are real work friends that you can trust acts like that allways, do friends irritate sometimes so much that you just don;'t want to do with them anything anymore?

[shes_cool]

It sounds as though she is a desperate attention seeker. That or she may have a mental illness? Pull her to the side during a break and let her know that her behaviour is unacceptable, and should she continue it you have no interest in being 'friends' with her. The truth shall set you free!

[JBeaucaire]

What goes around comes around...

If she acts childishly, in private or in public, respond parentally immediately.

"If you act that way, I will put you in time out again."

"All right, I warned you. Now go wait at your desk until I am done here. I'll talk to you privately about this. Go!" (point with your hand, stand in silence until she goes)

... etc.

She may be after attention and if so, this will most likely continue, but the quality of the attention she gets *might* adjust the ways in which she speaks childishly. Never give her a sense of protection because there are others around. With no sense of embarrassment on your part, immediately chastise her firmly but calmly... and put her in timeout if necessary.

When you DO go to talk to her at her desk, take another coworker with you to add strength to your "discussion".

"Sally, we're here to remind you that ______ behavior will not be tolerated, in private nor in front of customers. We do not need you to agree happily, we need you to agree PERIOD. Do you understand? Please say so."


You don't need nor court this woman as a friend. You simply need her to behave like a grownup when you're around. That's all.