DearPrudie: I’m worried that she will blame our parents.
Next time you see them say something like: “Hi neighbors! How did all the plants look when you got back? We didn’t over-water or anything, did we? I loved spending time in your beautiful garden supervising everything, and my kid was so excited to do his first job.” If they don’t say “Oh my God, did I forget to Venmo you?” just leave it. Give your kid a few dollars and congratulate him on his hard work and his first paycheck. He doesn’t have to know exactly where the cash came from.
To be honest, my husband and I just can’t stand her husband and would be thrilled if they separated. I have encouraged my SIL throughout her whole relationship to not martyr herself to a relationship that she makes very clear she is barely tolerating. My blunt question is how much longer do we—her extended family—have to gather for celebrations and vacations with this guy? How much can we openly root for her to leave? I am tired of trying to be subtle in my encouragement of her to “care for herself” when I really want to yell, “JUST LEAVE ALREADY!”The difference between “Great, I want you to care for yourself,” and “Just leave already! I can’t stand that dude!” is going to feel like a lot to you but it’s not going to change a lot about how...