Never had this happen. Me and my friends have an unspoken agreement that they only 'help' if A) its a particularly bad block AND B) I am talking to a 3rd party (waiter or whatnot). Otherwise, listen to what I have to say not how I am saying it. as for actual comfort/sympathy, cant say Ive gotten it out of nowhere before, questions and concerns but not comfort/sympathy. I would feel patronized if that happened. > they think far too highly of themselves and far too little of me, to think that I haven't figured out how to deal with this by now. my thoughts exactly. what I would do if a long-time friend did the same to me is to ignore it the first time, but if it happens again bring it up and tell him "I am an adult, I have been dealing with it for years, I got this."