This is a second marriage for both Mary and me. So I am in disgrace with my ex-mother-in-law and father-in-law, they are always badmouthing me, saying I ruined their daughter’s life and left her alone with the baby. But I pay child support, and my ex-girlfriend and I maintain good friendly relations, despite all the words of her family. Because of such behavior of my former relatives, I had no doubt that Maria’s relatives would talk about her first husband in the same way, but I was very much mistaken.
Her ex-husband is hardly a saint in her parents’ eyes. It was Maria’s fault that he left her; she should have asked him to go back to him instead of bringing a “new suitor” into the house. My father-in-law constantly brings up this topic and remembers how he and my daughter’s ex-husband used to go on trips, how they repaired their car together, and what a beautiful wedding they had, not like ours… It’s offensive and very unpleasant. It’s like I have no stake in this family. My child from my first marriage is persona non grata for them and they do not consider her their granddaughter, although Maria loves the girl very much.
There is no point in fighting this – my father-in-law will stick to his opinion, and my mother-in-law will never say a nice word to me in front of my husband, even if she really wants to. But I am not discouraged. Fortunately, Maria and I live separately, we have to tolerate her relatives only on holidays, and these two times a year can somehow be survived. I’m just a reminder that it happens, too – someone’s ex-sons-in-law are a lot better than their current one, despite their daughter’s choices.
