Dear Annie: I have a friend I have known for years, and our sons have grown up playing lacrosse together. On the surface, we are both supportive sports moms who cheer from the sidelines, pack the snacks and talk about practices, tournaments and college hopes. But underneath it all, I have started to feel something painful that I can no longer ignore.

Whenever my son has a strong game, gets recognition from a coach or reaches some milestone, my friend never seems genuinely happy for him. She may smile and say the right words, but there is always something strained behind it. Sometimes she quickly changes the subject back to her own son. Other times she points out how her son was overlooked, or she finds some subtle way to diminish my son’s accomplishment. If my son scores three goals, suddenly the conversation becomes about how her son had an assist no one noticed. If my son is praised, she brings up how politics in sports are unfair.