DEAR ABBY: My mother insists on telling my three youngest children that my husband is not their father. The oldest girl is the spitting image of him, and she's upset about it. Mom also calls me terrible names. She keeps saying it will add years to my life if I divorce him and makes appointments with divorce lawyers "for" me, which I am charged for. My husband and I have a limited income and can't move away because our jobs are here. How can I convince our kids my husband is their father? -- TRYING TO PROVE IT
DEAR TRYING: A way to do that would be to explain to your children that your mother has severe emotional problems and isn't in her right mind when she says those things. (From what you have written, it appears to be true.) You do not have to move away to distance yourself from this toxic, troubled woman. Stop communicating with her. Block her phone number, if you must, and do not allow her to have contact with any members of your family unless and until she regains her senses and apologizes to all of you.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I'd advise Mom to make a copy of her
letter to Abby, and Abby's response,
and show it to her children. If the
children are old enough to have
phones, I'd block Grandma from
all of them, and also on social media.
From the first line, it appears that Mom
also has older children. What is Grandma
saying to those children?
Hopefully they are not living with Grandma.
That would be an awkward situation.
