Annie’s mailbox: Counseling trumps confrontation
Q. Thirteen years ago, my son met “Nadia.” She became pregnant and brought my first beautiful grandchild into the world. After they married, I did many things for her and enjoyed her company. They now have another child, a son who is 8.
Nadia was fired from her job after breaking some rules – I don’t know which ones – and hasn’t worked since. She also doesn’t cook, clean or do laundry. My son does all of these things after a full day at work and then helps the kids with their homework and bedtime routines.
I’m a former private investigator. A few years ago, I caught Nadia cheating and discovered that the other man lived with his mother and had custody of his child. I didn’t want my grandchildren to have divorced parents, so instead of telling my son, I called this man’s mother. I told her to end things, or I’d inform her ex-daughter-in-law about the affair and she could gain custody of those kids. The affair ended.
Last year, I noticed that Nadia was paying a lot of attention to my granddaughter’s horse trainer. A mutual friend told me that Nadia has been sleeping with this man for two years. Nadia texted graphic details to this friend, which she forwarded to me.
The friend told my son about the affair, and he sent Nadia packing. But she convinced him that the friend was lying, and he took her back. Annie, I have the proof in those text messages, but I don’t think my son can handle it. Their home life is a disaster. My grandson has stress migraines, and my granddaughter is angry.
It upsets me terribly to see my son treated in such a degrading way. Do I share the truth or wait until the children are grown? – Grandmother in Distress
A. You are too involved in your son’s messed-up marriage. Don’t put evidence in front of him, forcing him to confront a situation he is trying to deal with in his own way. The best thing you can do is encourage your son to get his family into counseling.
Q. My son and his fiancee mailed wedding invitations, and for some reason, friends and relatives sent back the RSVP cards and included additional guests who were not listed on the invitation. Why do people assume they can do this?
Should there have been a note in the invitation stating that the wedding venue is small and seating is limited? – Aggravated Mother
A. No. Your son is handling this correctly by calling. We don’t know whether it is simply colossal nerve or a sense of entitlement, but it is not uncommon for people to assume it’s OK to add extra people to the RSVP. It is NOT.