Plus: My son’s wife was always too clingy with me, and now it’s getting worse.
We are both in our 70s. I have breast cancer that is in remission. We have made it a point to avoid shaking hands and to keep our distance from other people.At the dinner, a longtime friend of my husband’s brother pulled a chair over next to my husband to talk with him. In the course of the conversation, the friend revealed that his wife did not attend because she was home with COVID.
Yes, your in-laws could have held a more COVID-conscious gathering or put precautions like testing or masking in place. But they didn’t and that wasn’t one of the stipulations of your attendance. She began calling me “mom” when she and my son first got engaged. I’ve told her several times that I would prefer to be called by my first name, but she still calls me mom.
Later that day she sent a long email about how hurt she is that I “play favorites” by allowing my college-age son to come and go as he pleases, but I want her to call first. In a calm moment, talk to her about respect. Explain that you love her and want to build a relationship with her, but when she does these things, it feels disrespectful to you.Harriette Cole: I want to go to the family reunion but I’m not ready to open up about my lifeShe may not have had good models for this kind of relationship , but if she’s not open to hearing you, you can’t build something healthy.
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