ex-in-law
Even though I've been married before, I've never really had to deal with an ex-in-law. It's been a rather nasty addition to my otherwise nice life.In the beginning, I defended my ex-in-law from my husband, and from their children. I didn't think it was possible for her to be the demon they portrayed. I have since discovered I was wrong.
Quite simply, my ex-in-law is poisonous. Our family counselor noted that she suffers from borderline personality disorder (the counselor also counseled my husband and the ex-in-law when they were still together, so she has first-hand knowledge of her poisonous ways).
Just a few examples of her intrinsic awfulness:
- Once, when both my stepdaughters were still in her custody, she insisted, on a school night, that they must both find somewhere else to stay that night because she needed "alone time" with her live-in boyfriend. When one of the girls protested that she didn't know where to go and that she wanted to stay home, E-I-L said, "I said 'go.'"
- Although she sees the kids only two weekends a month, she routinely schedules trips out of town for the weekends they're supposed to visit her and then arranges for her relatives to take the kids on those weekends.
- When my husband and I married a year and a half ago, I agreed to put all three of her children on my health insurance, if she agreed to pay for a portion of it. She agreed. She hasn't paid and now all of their medical bills arrive in my name.
- My 16 year old stepdaughter moved in with us in November. She'd gotten herself into some real trouble and was busted at school for drug possession. Since moving in with us, she has been a model child. She is getting A's and B's in all her classes, and has generally transformed from rebellious teen on the road to nowhere, to focused, ambitious girl seriously planning for her future. However, the past is coming back to haunt her. Drug charges have now been filed against her, both misdemeanor and felony charges. We want to get her a lawyer, not to shield her from consequence, but to protect her from a too harsh judgement. The ex-in-law, however, is harboring grudges. She is angry that her daughter is doing well now (why couldn't she do well with her?) and refuses to assist with attorney's fees. Her stance: that her child needs to feel the full weight of the law and learn the consequences of her actions. What that really means: she's not going to pay a dime.
posted by lit lover at
1:17 PM
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