"What was shocking was my dad remarrying as soon as the divorce went through, and who it was he married: one of my former high school classmates, a now-24-year-old woman. She's younger than I am. Dear Name, Because I'm close to the rest of my dad's family, seeing them is unavoidable. When I do, I keep it polite, but I think my dad is gross, and I think she's in it mostly for the financial stability he provides."
"My husband, of course, knows how I feel. Recently, he taught our toddler that my dad and his wife are to be called "Grandpa" and "Grandma." When she says "Grandma" to my dad's young wife, it gets a big reaction from other relatives, and even more from the wife. So my daughter is really, really into it, as little kids will be when something they say gets them attention."
"I'm sorry your father has disappointed you so profoundly. And I get that your husband was probably trying to do something nice for you-i.e., taking a potshot at the new wife on your behalf. But it was pretty juvenile of him, and I think your unwillingness to fix this is (understandably!) petty. That doesn't mean I think you have to fix it or even that I think your husb"
The writer's parents divorced in January after a messy relationship; the father then remarried a 24-year-old former classmate who is younger than the writer. The writer sees the father's family regularly, feels disgust toward the father, and suspects the new wife seeks financial stability. The husband taught the toddler to call the couple "Grandpa" and "Grandma," and the child relishes the attention when she calls the young wife "Grandma." The father and his wife asked the writer to stop the child, but the writer resists retraining and avoids calling the wife "stepmom." The husband's act is called juvenile and the writer's resistance petty.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]