In today's Asking Eric column, R. Eric Thomas responds to someone who no longer wishes to be friends with their ex-partner.

Another option, which is useful in all kinds of relationships, is the question “are you looking for advice or do you just need to vent?” At times, the answer is “just vent” and that’s fine. It’s also sometimes appropriate to say, “Roger that. I’m not a good audience for venting right now.”

Dear Eric: I am friends with a person I dated for a short while. We’re in our 50s. The only reason I still see her is that she doesn’t have any other friends. She is also a sole parent to a difficult teen who also has no friends and has no desire to make any (she tells me this). I do not enjoy her company, although she is a good person.

Friend breakups can be hard because it’s often uncomfortable to formalize something that only exists in feelings. But it sounds like that’s what both of you need at this point in your relationship. There are a couple of concerning details here.

I do not enjoy her company, although she is a good person. It’s not as though I have a stellar social life myself, but I really do not want to hang out with her anymore. I do it because if I don’t she will have no one,